Guest contributor, bestselling author, television writer,  martial artist, health/fitness expert, relationship specialist, and my personal life (and screenwriting) coach, Steven Barnes has been inducted into the NetSlingers community because of the impact he has made on me in all those areas. Read on to make yourself unstoppable! – Andy

THE HERO’S JOURNEY
by Steven Barnes

What’s YOUR Story Jack?

No matter where you go in the world, whether it is to visit with
Eskimo shamans, Native American storytellers, Fortune 500
CEOs, African griots, Marketing Mavericks, New Zealand
Maoris or Hollywood screenwriters, there are great similarities
in the stories they tell, because the heart of storytelling is the
reality of human life itself, with its relatively predictable pattern
of events.

This pattern may be the only “plot structure” that also applies
to our own lives. Its universality in human experience suggests
that we can gain valuable perspective through its application.
How?

Step 1: The Challenge

The first of ten “steps” of the Hero’s (Jack’s) Journey is called
“Jack is confronted with a challenge.” In other words, the
mundane life of Jack is disrupted by a challenge or change
from outside of his ordinary world.

Think of the original Star Wars: “Come with me, Luke! Learn
the ways of the Force!” If this does not happen, Luke stays a
farmer on Tattoine. There is no story in the traditional sense,
just a depiction of life itself, often in dreary detail.

As a story element this is obvious. It is less obvious how this
applies to our lives. All living creatures crave homeostasis.
Jack will try to remain as he is, for as long as possible. He will
change as little as he can.

Because of this, Jack will remain in situations that do not
serve or challenge him. He suffers chronic pain because the
stress of changing can be acute. He will “delete” information
about the environment in which he lives, the toxic relationships
he shares, the flabby body he sees in the mirror, the dreadful
status of his bank accounts…because change is risk, change
is work, change is painful.

This denial in the service of “comfort” can destroy Jack’s
career, trash the passion in his relationships, and doom him to
a life of mediocre health and energy.

If Jack would thrive in each of the basic arenas of his life:
career, relationships and health/fitness, he must admit, to
himself and the world, that he desires change. That he will
settle for nothing less than vibrant health, financial abundance,
and a passionate partnership.

This is where success principles like “well defined written
goals” and “if it’s to be, it’s up to me” originate. The Bible says:
“first came the Word.” In other words, before any successful
action, comes the declaration of intent. We must be willing to
take the first step, which is to admit to ourselves that we
desire a different, better life.

What percentage of people actually are “balanced” between
these three elements? How many “Jacks” have bountiful
finances, abundant health and fitness, and have found their
soulmates? 1%? 1/10th of 1%? How many even admit that
they WANT all three? Think about it. Probably 99.9% of human
beings would want these things. And almost no one has them,
just like Jack.

What we see is people who have one or two of them, but not
all three. And the reason is that in order to have all three, you
must actually walk the path of your true heart. You must learn
to speak the truth, even just to yourself, no matter how painful
it can sometimes be.

The Greatest Success Blocker Demolished

To deal with these issues, Jack must dare to claim his full
aliveness, to deal with the root-limiting emotion: FEAR.

Our egos HATE change. All living systems crave homeostasis,
and our ego, a conglomeration of opinions and masks that we
wear in different contexts, believes (rightly!) that in order for us
to change, it must shatter and die.

Look at Jack’s life…and the most important changes that have
happened to him. Even when they were positive, like moving,
or marriage, or graduation, there was often a component of
fear involved. Any time he approached a threshold where, on
the other side of a “line” he experienced life differently, there
was both excitement and fear. And for many of us, like Jack,
much of the time, fear wins.

We face fear as we grow. If we include this factor in our work,
or make allowances for it in life, our life and work becomes
more authentic. To understand this more deeply, look into the
three major arenas of your own life.

1) Where has fear stopped you from having the powerful,
sensual body you deserve?

2) Where has fear stopped you from having the loving,
intimate, satisfying relationship you deserve?

3) Where has fear stopped you from having the dynamic,
successful career you deserve?

It is in looking into these areas, and telling yourself the truth,
that you begin to understand human beings…and yourself…on
the deepest, most powerful level imaginable.

Identify those areas in those first three questions, and I promise
you a shift will occur.

More to come…

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