Do you want to change things up but are unsure what steps to take?
Who wouldn't like a little sprinkling of change to pivot life in a different direction.
The power of story's got you covered. The stuff of change is what great stories are all about. Without conflicted, difficult change, an audience switches off. So where better to turn than an age-old recipe (The Hero's Journey) that provides a step-by-step guide on how main characters (that's you) go through a journey of personal growth and change.
Does storytelling have witch-like power to change your life in 2025?
I believe it does. But full disclosure: I'm no self-help guru.
The magic stems from a very basic human instinct to share and communicate; something we've been doing since we scrawled pictures on cave walls or told stories around the camp fire.
Fast foward to 2024 and look at social media. We're desperate to teach and warn of the dangers of the outside world, or just make people laugh. The pull of story is irresistible. And writers observe people around them to make these stories as real as possible. But what if we flip things around and try to make our real lives emulate a story? Stay with me.
Our brains, in any case, routinely try to make sense of the world by creating patterns and stories from the chaos around us. Using story techniques to change your life in 2025 is really just one step beyond that.
Hero's Journey: A Blueprint for Personal Transformation
The Hero's Journey is a concept first introduced to the world by Joseph Campbell, a writer and professor of literature who saw a pattern emerging from mythology. It's essentially a story archetype that describes the stages a main character typically goes through in a successfully-told narrative. It's one of the basic tenets of storytelling craft that writers and screenwriters use to construct the pivotal moments the hero might go through in their novel or film.
Thanks to Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler (who later adapted it into a guide for screenwriters), this template has been made accessible to writers of stories and screenplays. Watch any blockbuster film and you'll be surprised at how aptly it fits with The Hero's Journey structure (we did this for The Barbie Movie here.)
But I've also become interested with The Hero's Journey more recently because of how it can be applied to our everyday, very much non-fiction lives. Weirdly, I found that many of the stages of this story archetype fit perfectly with the phases encountered when attempting to change something fundamental about real life.
So, if you're after some change in your life and have main character energy, take a look at The Hero's Journey: a step-by-step guide to tackling personal growth and change.
12 stages of the Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell's Mythic Structure for Storytelling
– and a guide to change your life through story.
Let's put ourselves at the centre of this story we're about to create. We're going to take this character on a journey through change.
We're not just manifesting here. We're imagining scenarios of how our life might veer off-course (in a good way?) should we introduce an out-of-the-ordinary element into the mix that is our everyday life.
1. Ordinary World
In this opening stage, we meet the Hero in their familiar environment, where we observe their talents, weaknesses, and outlook on life. This glimpse into their everyday existence allows us to see them as a relatable, grounded character, blissfully unaware of the journey awaiting them. It’s a safe space, emphasizing the contrast between their current life and the challenges they will face.
Observe yourself in your own natural habitat. Take a detached look at your life and habits. What characterises YOU and your world?
2. Call to Adventure
The Hero’s journey kicks off with a call to action—a threat to their safety, loved ones, way of life, or community. It may come as a dramatic event or a simple conversation but it nonetheless disrupts the Hero's Ordinary World, presenting a challenge or mission they must confront.
What's one change (it can be as simple as getting up an hour earlier, or as complicated as moving cities) that could have wide-ranging consequences on how you usually live?
3. Refusal of the Call
At first, the Hero hesitates, facing doubts and fears that make them second-guess the challenge. Whether due to uncertainty or the allure of comfort, the Hero resists the call, creating a moment of vulnerability that deepens the audience's connection to their struggle.
There are always those voices–internal or external–that hold you back. Why? What are they saying? Why listen to them?
4. Meeting the Mentor
At a pivotal moment, the Hero encounters a mentor who provides them with something essential—whether a powerful object, insight, advice, or self-belief. This guidance helps dissolve the Hero’s fears, empowering them to face the journey ahead.
Who or what is going to give you the strength to carrry through with the change or the mission you've given yourself?
5. Crossing the Threshold
Now ready to embark on their quest, the Hero takes the leap from their familiar world into the unknown. Whether by choice or force, this action marks their commitment to the adventure, leaving behind the comfort of their previous life.
What is the first step you'll take to consolidate the change and create a new world for yourself?
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
Stepping out of their comfort zone, the Hero encounters tests that challenge them and reveal both allies and adversaries. Each obstacle and character met along the way contributes to their growth, sharpening the Hero’s skills and deepening the audience's understanding of their character.
There will be obstacles along the road; people who want to steer you away from your goal and those who show up to help.
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
The Hero approaches the core of the journey while facing a significant danger or inner conflict. As they prepare for this confrontation, they may experience a moment of reflection or renewed doubt, underscoring the gravity of the ordeal ahead.
Do you have what it takes in this new world? Things are proving difficult and you're having doubts.
8. Ordeal
In the journey’s peak, the Hero faces a supreme challenge—a moment that demands all of their resilience and strength. This intense confrontation, whether with a fear or enemy, becomes a turning point. The Hero undergoes a form of symbolic rebirth, gaining newfound power or insight.
You face the ultimate test in attaining your goal (or sticking to the change). It's going to require some grit to keep going. What do you learn about yourself?
9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
Having triumphed over their greatest challenge, the Hero claims a reward. This can take many forms—a powerful object, secret, newfound knowledge, or a renewed bond. Though victorious, they must quickly ready themselves for the journey home, as the adventure isn’t over yet.
You did it. Despite the obstacles, you've nabbed the prize! Completed the marathon or been offered the new job. But there's still some ground to cover and the transformation is not yet complete.
10. The Road Back
The Hero now returns home with the reward. In many ways, this is the reversed journey from the Call to Adventure. It signifies a different mindset and requires a different emotional toolkit. This path can still hold obstacles, and the Hero may need to choose between their personal objective and a higher calling.
You're on the way back to the ordinary world changed, but what are you going to do with this new attitude once you're back? How are the people from your old life going to react?
11. Resurrection
In this final test, the Hero encounters a climactic challenge of life-and-death proportions that carries greater consequences than just personal survival. The outcome will impact not only them but their world, heightening the stakes and reinforcing their growth as they emerge transformed.
Just when you thought you were in the clear, a final and more difficult challenge comes along, the outcome of which will not only define you but those who stand with you. If you pull this off, you will emerge truly re-born.
12. Return with the Elixir
Finally, the Hero returns home, altered by their experiences. They bring back the "Elixir"—whether a physical object, wisdom, or insight—that benefits their world. This gift marks the end of their journey, with or without a reward, as they’ve ultimately grown through their trials.
You've done it! You have attained the goal or the change you were after. And how better to measure that change than to come back to where you started: the ordinary world. It's the same, and yet somehow different...
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