When you set out to achieve a goal and make it a Hero’s Journey, you can reframe things that happen to you along the way.  Reframing the rough parts of life* to be the Test and Trial stage can move us forward on the Hero’s Journey, while staying attached to our wounds and scars rarely takes us anywhere.

It’s so easy, though, to hold on to a hurt and stay in that “I was wronged” place. It can be appealing and even rewarded to stay in a place of being “damaged/”  What boo-boos do you have that you sill identify with?  What makes you say, “I am….” as a part of your autobiography?  How is it limiting you on your Journey?

I have a friend that had breast cancer in the early 2000’s.  She completed one Breast Cancer Walk.  I asked her why she didn’t do more charity work with these organizations.  She said, “I don’t want to be Cancer Girl.”  She found her lump early, had good treatment, a wide social support system, and has been in remission for a long time.  Others are not so fortunate.  My point is that she felt that, for her, active charity work for breast cancer would always require she describe her experience and give that illness high billing in her life. She made the choice not to do that. There are also many hero stories that show women making the opposite choice (like the Susan G. Komen Foundation).

But what if identifying with your particular boo-boo isn’t a part of your Hero’s Journey at all.  What if it’s just an old, limiting label?  Maybe… it’s not a Test or Trial after all.  What if it’s just the way you’ve been Refusing the Call?  It’s time to do an inventory of your boo-boo labels. The Noise you Don’t Hear is the Call – Exploring the Magic of Your Hero’s Journey (exploringthemagicherosjourney.com)

*Important note: Don’t confuse everyday bad stuff that happens with Tests and Trials on your Journey.  If the incident is keeping you from progressing on your goal, then it’s a Test or Trial.  If not, it’s just an irritating/bad/hurtful thing that happened to you.  They happen to everyone.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash