Living the Hero's Journey

by Will Craig

  Most of us spend so much of our lives chasing success that we don’t even recognize it when we’ve finally caught up with it. We just keep running after more, bigger, and better. Persistence, which served us well as a virtue, now becomes a vice. We continue doing more of the same because it’s the norm. Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Ellen Goodman recognized, “Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for . . . in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”

  How many successful people do you know who still live the rat race even though they’re in a better position than most to lead a life of significance? Maybe that someone is close to you—real close, like the person who squints at you every morning in the mirror.

  We complete this revolution of the Hero’s Journey by returning to the place where we began—the known, ordinary world. We feel a bit exhausted, but a lot stronger and much wiser. Our transformation positions us for living our lives to match our potential. What an honor and responsibility this is.

  This book coming to an end marks, for you, a fresh beginning. It’s been a privilege accompanying you on this stretch of the path, and I trust you’ll find the Map of Self-Discovery helpful on future quests.

  If you look down at your feet, there is an untrodden path revealing itself before you. A new expedition is emerging from your awareness that is wrapped in more action and adventure than you can possibly imagine.

  I’ll leave you with three aphorisms to take with you as you continue living the Hero’s Journey:

  1. Life isn’t easy. Don’t expect it to be.

  2. You were born to flourish. Live well.

  3. You are the hero of your life. Act like it.

  Next Steps

  “Much to learn, you still have.” ~ Master Yoda

  It’s time to put thought into action. For many, good intentions are as far as they get. For you, let’s make it real and actionable. We begin with gifts from the mentor.

  Your Wish Is My Command

  Expanding the Power of Your Personal Genie

  The genie we all have inside us is awaiting our instructions and ready to grant our every wish. If you’re not where you want to be in your life, what commands are you giving your genie? Listen to this enchanting tale embroiling your greatest ally and your worst enemy.

  Just rub the magic lamp at: willcraig.com/gifts

  Discovering Purpose & Passion

  Assessment and Guidance

  Like two sides of the same coin, purpose and passion are inseparable. These two life forces are entwined in a captivating, fiery dance with destiny. No wonder we find them so alluring. If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I’d be happy to follow my passion, if I only knew what it was,” this assessment is for you.

  Ignite the flame within you at: willcraig.com/gifts

  The Mentor Sessions

  Living the Hero’s Journey Guidebook

  Meeting your mentor is one of the most exciting stages of the journey. You’ll be introduced to eight different mentors each imparting life lessons and life-shaping knowledge. This companion guidebook takes you deeper into understanding yourself and revealing your true purpose and path.

  The guidebook includes:

   Personal assessments and worksheets

   Weekly audio mentoring sessions

   Evolving challenge assignments

   Map of Self-Discovery–full interactive version

  The mysterious inner workings of the Hero’s Journey are uncovered and become an indispensable travel guide for you to follow on your journey of a lifetime.

  Go to: willcraig.com/nextstep

  About the Author

  W ill Craig is a writer and photographer who travels the world researching and documenting the subtleties and nuances of a life well lived. As an avid explorer, the odyssey that fascinates him the most is the inner journey. Will’s passion is creating dynamic stories using engaging content and captured moments.

  Will shares the paths traveled, lessons learned, and insights gained over the course of a decade as the founder and former dean of an international coaching and mentoring company based in Boulder, Colorado. He holds a master’s degree in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

  Will Craig has worked with entertainment giants like the Walt Disney Company, Up with People, and Universal Studios. For twelve years, he was a writer-producer of film and television projects and served as president of the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association.

  Learn more:

  willcraig.com

  Pay It Forward

  It has been an honor to walk this part of life’s path with you. Please share your experience of Living the Hero’s Journey. Let others know what you think and what to expect by leaving an honest review at: Amzn.to/2f5Vull Thank you.

  Bibliography

  Further Reading and Resources

  Books

  Beckwith, M.B. (2010) Spiritual liberation: Fulfilling your soul’s potential.

  Philadelphia, PA, United States: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group.

  Brown, B.C. (2010) The gifts of imperfection: Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are. Philadelphia, PA, United States: Hazelden Information & Educational Services.

  Brown, D. (2009) The da Vinci code: A novel. 2nd edn. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

  Burchard, B. (2014) The motivation manifesto: 9 declarations to claim your personal power. United States: Hay House.

  Campbell, J. (1972) Myths to live by. New York: Viking Press.

  Campbell, J. (1991) Reflections on the art of living, Joseph Campbell Foundation.

  Campbell, J. (1992) The masks of god: V. 4: Creative mythology. New York: Penguin Group (USA).

  Campbell, J. (2003) The hero’s journey: Joseph Campbell on his life and work. Edited by Phil Cousineau. United States: Publishers Group West.

  Campbell, J. (2004) Pathways to bliss. Joseph Campbell Foundation.

  Campbell, J. (2008) The hero with a thousand faces. Novato: New World Library.

  Campbell, J. and Moyers, B.D. (1988) The power of myth. New York, NY: Doubleday Books.

  Canfield, J. and Switzer, J. (2006) The success principles: How to get from where you are to where you want to be. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

  Coelho, P. (2014) The alchemist. New York, NY, United States: HarperCollins Publishers.

  Cousineau, P. (2001) Once and future myths: The power of ancient stories in modern times. Berkeley, CA: Conari Press, U.S.

  Dyer, W.W. (2007) Change your thoughts - change your life: Living the wisdom of the Tao. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.

  Fielding, H. and Aristotle (1957) Aristotle’s poetics. Cambridge, MA, United States: Harvard University Press.

  Ford, D. and Boberg-Shalṿi, S. (2008) The secret of the shadow: The power of owning your story. United States: HarperCollins.

  Gelb, M.J. (2000) How to think like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven steps to genius every day. New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.

  Keen, S. and Valley-Fox, A. (1989) Your mythic journey: Finding meaning in your life through writing and storytelling. Los Angeles: Penguin Group (USA).

  Kelly, M. (2006) The rhythm of life: Living every day with passion and purpose. New York: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group.

  Levoy, G. (1998) Callings: Finding and following an authentic life. New York: Crown Publishing Group.

  Marsh, N. (2007) Fat, forty and fired. Sydney: Bantam.

  Maslow, A.H. (1970) Motivation and personality. 3rd edn. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers.

  May, M.E. (2009) In pursuit of elegance: Why the best ideas have something missing. New York: Crown Publishing Group.

  Meade, M. (2010) Fate and destiny: The two agreements of the soul. Seattle, WA: Greenfire Press.

&nbs
p; Myss, C. (2003) Sacred contracts: Awakening your divine potential. New York: Crown Publishing Group.

  O’Donohue, J. (2008) Anam Cara: A book of Celtic wisdom. New York, NY, United States: HarperCollins Publishers.

  Ohotto, R. (2009) Transforming fate into destiny: A new dialogue with your soul. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.

  Ruiz, D.M. (1997) The four agreements: A practical guide to personal freedom. San Rafael, CA: Publishers Group West.

  Sebold, A. (2004) The lovely bones: A novel. New York: Little, Brown & Company.

  Tolle, E. (2008) A new earth: Awakening to your life’s purpose. London: Penguin Group (USA).

  Turner, M. (1998) The literary mind. New York: Oxford University Press, USA.

  Vogler, C. (2007) The writer’s journey: Mythic structure for writers. 3rd edn. United States: Wiese, Michael Productions.

  Ziglar, Z. (1975) See you at the top. New York, NY, United States: Pelican Publishing Co.

  Films

  It’s a wonderful life (1946) Directed by Frank Capra RKO Radio Pictures.

  Moana (2016) Directed by Ron Clements, Don Hall Walt Disney Studios.

  Aladdin (1992) Directed by Ron Clements, John Musker Walt Disney Studios.

  Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone (2001) Directed by Chris Columbus Warner Bros.

  The godfather (1972) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Paramount Pictures.

  Snow white and the Seven dwarfs (1937) Directed by William Cottrell Walt Disney Studios.

  The wizard of oz (1939) Directed by Victor Fleming Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

  Sleeping beauty (1959) Directed by Clyde Geronimi Walt Disney Studios.

  Braveheart (1995) Directed by Mel Gibson 20th Century Fox.

  An officer and a gentleman (1982) Directed by Taylor Hackford Paramount Pictures.

  Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid (1969) Directed by George Roy Hill 20th Century Fox.

  The da Vinci code (2006) Directed by Ron Howard Sony / Columbia.

  Sliding doors (1998) Directed by Peter Howitt Paramount Pictures.

  The lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring (2001) Directed by Peter Jackson New Line Cinema.

  The Hobbit: An unexpected journey (2012) Directed by Peter Jackson New Line Cinema.

  Cars (2006) Directed by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft Walt Disney Studios.

  Fantasy Island (1977) Directed by Gene Levitt Sony Pictures Television.

  Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) Directed by Doug Liman 20th Century Fox.

  Star Wars: Episode IV - A new hope (1977) Directed by George Lucas 20th Century Fox.

  Groundhog day (1993) Directed by Harold Ramis Columbia Pictures.

  Raiders of the lost Ark (1981) Directed by Steven Spielberg Paramount Pictures.

  Indiana Jones and the last crusade (1989) Directed by Steven Spielberg Paramount Pictures.

  Saving private Ryan (1998) Directed by Steven Spielberg DreamWorks.

  The power of myth (1988) [DVD]. New York: The Independent Production Fund.

  Beauty and the beast (1991) Directed by Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise Walt Disney Studios.

  Good will hunting (1997) Directed by Gus Van Sant Miramax.

  The matrix (1999) Directed by Lana Wachowski Warner Bros.

  Dead poets society (1989) Directed by Peter Weir Touchstone Pictures.

  Romancing the stone (1984) Directed by Robert Zemeckis 20th Century Fox.

  Websites

  Belsten, Ph.D, Laura. (2016) CEO Partnership. Available at: http://CEOPartnership.com.

  Black, Ph.D., Jackie. (1999) Dr. Jackie Black. Available at: http://drjackieblack.com.

  Brown-Volkman, D. (2016) Surpass Your Dreams. Available at: http://surpassyourdreams.com.

  Glaser, Judith E. (2017) Creating WE: A benchmark communications standard of excellence. Available at: http://www.creatingwe.com.

  Hauge, Michael. (2014) Story mastery. Available at: http://www.storymastery.com.

  Herdlinger, David. (2016) Kashbox coaching. Available at: http://www.herdlinger.com.

  Hess, Rhonda. (2007) Prosperous Coach. Available at: http://prosperouscoachblog.com.

  JCF (2016) Joseph Campbell Foundation. Available at:

  http://www.jcf-myth.org.

  Krueger, MD, David. (2016) Mentor Mindsets. Available at: http://www.mentorpath.com.

  Leshinsky, Milana. (2016) Simplicity Circle. Available at: http://milana.com/blog.

  Redford, Robert. (2016) Sundance institute. Available at: http://www.sundance.org.

  Sirois, Maria. (2016) Maria Sirois, Psy.D. Available at: http://mariasirois.com.

  UC-Berkeley (2016) The science of happiness. Available at: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/news_events/event/the_science_of_happiness.

  Vogler, Christopher. (2016) The writer’s journey. Available at: http://www.thewritersjourney.com.

  Copyright and Credits

  Dedicated to Griffin Alexander Craig ~ my son, my friend, my hero.

  Live and Learn Publishing

  Boulder, Colorado USA

  Copyright 2017 © by Will Craig

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 978-0-9790448-4-7

  Printed in the United States of America

  Illustrations: Ignacio Corva–Mar del Plata, Argentina

  Editor: Nirmala Nataraj–New York, USA

  Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey schema from The Hero with a Thousand Faces (New World Library) copyright © 2008 by the Joseph Campbell Foundation (jcf.org), used with permission.

  Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey schema from The Writer’s Journey (Michael Weise Productions) copyright © 2007 by Christopher Vogler (thewritersjourney.com), used with permission.

  Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers (Alvin H. Perlmutter, Inc. and Public Affairs Television, Inc.) © 1988. Six program DVD series available from Athena Learning (athenalearning.com/power-of-myth-25).

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.