Heroes of Our Own

~If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans~

This joke by Woody Allen makes me smile. On an ego-level (rather than soul-level), I certainly didn't plan to leave Norway and settle in the USA. And I didn't plan to become a holistic health practitioner...at least not until something stirred within me later in life, and one step led to another.

It's often our experience that life does not go according to our plan. That doesn't mean that we don't have a say. Quite the contrary. Yet, from an ego perspective, we are often called to let go of the life we've planned, so we can have the life that is waiting for us, as Joseph Campbell puts it.

We all have our own hero's journey in which we're called to leave the familiar, venture forth, enter the cave (the unknown), slay the dragons (overcome our deepest fears), and at the end of the journey, return home to the loved and familiar and share what we've learned. Returning "home" also makes me think of the process of healing our fragmented selves and becoming whole.

How about powerfully reframing your life to that of your own hero's journey, rather than only aiming for New Year's resolutions that quickly become forgotten? Your perceptions of yourself and life, to a large extent, create your reality. Also, you would not be who you are without the challenges and diseases that have helped you grow and mature.

Keep in mind that in all the myths and stories about heroes, the hero always has helpers, whether they come in the form of loyal friends, dwarfs, a good witch, a fairy godmother, a sidekick, an animal or trees. We cannot complete our journey on our own, so make sure you do not isolate yourself.

If you'd like to reflect on The Hero's Journey, I recommend the movie Finding Joe.

For a musical rendition listen to Kristian Stenslie's (one of my sons) self-composed Heroes of Our Own, featuring his sister Solvei. 

Don't fall into the trap of needing to be perfect. In order to venture forth, we need courage to face our fears, be willing to fail, and learn from our failures. We don't get far if we need to get it right the first time. You might enjoy this podcast titled Failure Tolerance. Go to episode 279. 

Meet your fears with compassion. What if we stop making our fears the enemy. Our fears are trying to keep us safe. Try to think of your fears as attention hungry children that need your reassurance. Courage is not the absence of fear, but acting despite our fear.

May you come to see your life as a hero's journey, an ongoing invitation towards courage, healing, and transformation. And when it's time, may you pass on what you've learned to those who are ready and willing.

I am happy to be a resource on your journey.

Warmly,

Tone-Lise