The Darkness and the Hero’s Journey
Living in MN can bring on it’s challenges. Yes, we have the cold and snow which does scare some people off, but that’s not as bad as people think. In fact, having 4 very distinct seasons is why I love living in the land of 14,380 lakes (thought I was going to say 10,000 didn’t you).
The challenge I’m thinking of is my undiagnosed but very real feelings of deep, dark melancholy that has been hitting me every winter. You might have heard the phrase SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
A few years ago I just thought it was me being stressed out with running a business or the stresses of family life, etcetera, etcetera. This last little stint that reared it’s ugly head brought me down a bit deeper than I would prefer. One evening I even found myself crawling into bed around 6:45pm as I was really done with the day and wanted to escape the feelings of despair.
Mix in the lack of sun and the shorter days with all the interesting things life can hit you with can be a fun cocktail of no motivation, wanting to give up, just an overall feeling of hopelessness. It’s no fun I tell you but I think I’m learning some ways to combat this dragon with social encounters, acupuncture, exercise, and therapy.
All of us have dragons to slay throughout our days, months and years. And that’s a good thing. It’s the hero’s journey discussed in a JUICY YouTube movie called Finding Joe, which I highly recommend by the way. Here is what the Hero’s Journey looks like:
The hero’s journey is YOUR ADVENTURE! When you are on it, you are actually happier in a weird and twisted kind of way. You have a purpose. You have a reason to be alive! You have enemies and you have allies. You have caves, magical helpers, rescues, tests, and more!
Are there challenges?
HELL YES!
Is there a dragon to slay?
Of course!
But that dragon looks like all different kinds of things. Could be a goal you are trying to achieve. It could be cancer you are trying to beat. It could be depression you are battling. It could be you just retired and have nothing to do and your life is wasting away; if that’s the case sounds like you better create a hero’s journey!
You name it. If it’s a challenge in your life, who am I to judge? It’s your own custom heroic journey. Mine last week was SAD; the week before was letting someone go within our company for it’s survival. The hero’s journey is what keeps us going! Not having one can be disastrous and leave you wondering why you are so lost.
What’s your hero’s journey right now? Know that whatever it is, YOU WILL MAKE IT! You will triumph over the challenge you are facing! Open your eyes and find your allies, or recognize that you are in the belly of the whale, or realize that this is a test or that someone needs to be rescued and you are the HERO that can do it!
Find your dragon,
SLAY it,
repeat!
