A hero is someone who:
- has a strong foundation based on moral values, conscience and character
- chooses to learn skills and knowledge with self-discipline
- hears calls to action to become a better person and to help others.
The Hero Journey
- Ordinary. It starts with a seemingly ordinary person, unaware he has great power to make a change.
- A Call to Action. Something changes, and the hero realizes that he has a choice to make. The action involves doing something hard, that will change him and help others.
- Refusal. The hero feels fear. He doesn’t feel like he can accomplish the task at hand.
- Commitment. The hero leaves the comfort zone and commits to acting on the call, even though it’s unknown and he doesn’t know how.
- The Journey. The hero finds a mentor or mentors – someone who has been there before, who believes in the hero and helps the hero find the answers he needs. Along the way, the hero hits roadblocks in the form of temptations, tests and traps. He also finds allies in other people who have similar calls to action who can help him overcome.
- Grand Trial. Near the end of the journey, the hero faces his greatest fear, or even death. The hero wants to give up, it looks impossible to complete the mission. But success is just around the corner.
- The Reward. the hero is able to push through the challenge and find success. He has not only changed the world around, but changed himself.
Recognize the Pattern
When we recognize this pattern in our own lives, it makes the journey more fun and do-able. On the hero journey, we all have mentors and allies as well as tests, traps and trials. We can see that if we just keep pushing through all the hard things, eventually success will come. We are all on this journey whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not.
As you teach your child to apply the hero journey in his daily life, he will see that he does indeed have greatness inside. He’ll learn that he has a grand purpose in life. He’ll know who he is and why he is here. This is what Building Heroes at Home is all about. And as you learn this in your life, you too will know who you are and why you are here. Powerful stuff!
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