Understanding The Hero’s Journey
When you first hear Hero’s Journey, you might think of Hollywood scripts or Greek myths. But here’s the truth: it’s not just a story — it’s my story. It’s your story!
Every classic hero tale follows the same simple arc. Joseph Campbell broke it down decades ago, but you’ll see it in every big story ever told.
Steps in the Hero’s Journey
• The Call to Adventure — Something shakes you awake. You realize life can’t stay the same.
• Crossing the Threshold — You step into the unknown. You do the scary thing.
• Trials and Transformation — The world tests you. You struggle, you learn, you grow.
• Return with the Elixir — You come back stronger, with something to share.
For a more detailed breakdown of the Steps of the Hero’s Journey, another member wrote this blog.
My Own Hero’s Journey Steps
Sound familiar? For me, my Call to Adventure was that rock-bottom night in 2014 when I knew I had to change or lose everything. Crossing the Threshold was saying yes to the Master Key Experience — and doing the work even when I didn’t feel like it.
My Trials? Keeping my habits when life got busy. Starting again when I slipped. Trusting the process one sit at a time.
And the Elixir? It’s what I’m sharing here — a blueprint for how you can do it too.
Tools for Change
The tools were the same ones that guided countless people before me:
• Charles Haanel’s Master Key System — the foundation.
• Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World — not just reading, but living it: three times a day, thirty days per scroll.
• Wallace Wattles’ The Science of Getting Rich — the practical laws of abundance.
• And when I studied these, I could see exactly where Napoleon Hill shaped Think and Grow Rich.
These aren’t just old books on a shelf. They’re the map for your own journey. And these tools are available for you as well.
More Wisdom
And here’s the piece nobody tells you: You don’t need to fix your whole life overnight.
Like I learned — and like recovery taught me — it’s about 1% better each day. That’s how heroes grow. That’s how you break the cycle.
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Excellent post, Ken. Thanks for sharing your own very personal Hero’s Journey!
I agree, Arlene. Ken really inspires me!
It’s so true, Ken, that each of us are on this Hero’s Journey and it’s powerful beyond imagination when we finally pass through this threshold of Unknown to find our bliss, authentic self! Thank you!
The UNKNOWN is so hard…thanks for the reminder that on the other side is our bliss, Esther.
Ken, thank you for the reminder that it’s too big a pressure to think change will happen overnight. I love the 1% daily idea. Just a little daily adds up. I also appreciate your reminder that the #MasterKeyExperience exercises are there for a reason, so “doing the work even when I didn’t feel like it” is a huge key to daily 1%. Congrats on your success!
For me it is each step of the horse. Got it, lost it, got it. Then we dance. Thank you Ken