Welcome to Day 72 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! Yesterday, I wrote about the start of the Hero’s Journey - Normal Life - where a person is living in their normal world, before being called upon an adventure. In today’s blog, I move on to the second stage of the Hero’s Journey, Receiving the Call.
Preparing for Adventure
Act I of the Hero’s Journey is all about setting the Hero up for the coming adventure.
Called from their Ordinary World, the Hero prepares for adventure by gathering resources and knowledge before crossing the threshold into the Special World.
Yesterday, we looked at Normal Life. In stories, this is where we see who the Hero is, and we learn about the people around them and the environment in which they live.
We begin to identify the Hero’s real problem, which could be an illness, career problems, relationship issues, or a lack of something that they need to address.
The Hero leaves Normal Life when they receive the call to adventure. Though the Hero may not be ready to accept it yet, Receiving the Call makes them aware of the need to overcome something.
Often, the Hero will refuse this call to adventure at first – after all, change is scary – but the call is often too strong to ignore.
Receiving the Call
In life, the call to adventure can take many forms. An opportunity or problem arises, and you get the first inkling of the journey ahead.
Your calls to adventure relate to your identity, purpose, or mission, and they are always important for your psychological, emotional, or physical wellbeing at that stage of your life.
The call to adventure is something that you must do, or something that you should be doing.
In a Bond movie, this is where 007 visits M and gets the details of his next mission.
In Beauty and the Beast, Belle receives two calls two adventure. First, Gaston proposes an immediate marriage, which she refuses. Next, her father’s horse returns home. Realising that her papa is in trouble, she accepts the call to ride to his rescue.
When learning a new skill in life, Receiving the Call is when you begin to see the value of a skill and contemplate putting in the time needed to learn it.
To begin with, the call to adventure may not be clear or powerful. It may seem like a mistake or a chance encounter, or you may begin to understand that something in your life is no longer as it should be.
This is where you have your first inkling that there is a different way of looking at the events in your life, or how you are experiencing them.
By paying attention to these calls to adventure, you can begin to understand the areas of your life where change is needed.
Accepting the Call takes you on a journey that will transform you and the world around you.
Call to Action!
Think back to the calls to adventure that you have received in your life. Are there any that you are still refusing? While you cannot accept all calls to adventure, it is important to consider why you have refused a calling. If the call to adventure keeps repeating, the chances are that you should listen to it.
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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