Those who know me well know that I love stories. Back in the early days of humanity, we grew our civilization with stories: epic songs sung at feasts and around campfires, tales of tricksters and heroes etched in the night sky, and quiet bedtime fables all served to continuously pass wisdom down to each next generation. The American writer Joseph Campbell tells us in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces about "The Hero's Journey:" a story as old as humanity itself, passed down through countless retellings around the world - the story of the human experience.
So yah - I think stories are pretty important. Especially the stories we tell OURSELVES about who we are and who we are becoming. Our self-talk is powerful! Think for a moment about the stories and characters that you know and love: would you rather be Han Solo or Jabba the Hutt? Draco Malfoy or Harry Potter? I'm more of a Luna Lovegood, myself. Perhaps you're more of a Lando Calrissian or Peregrin Took. Ferris Bueller. Tyler Durden. Michael Corleone. Ellen Ripley. Commander Shepard.
If you could be anyone, who would you be?
Because whoever you are, you are the main character, and this is your Journey. And whatever tricksters and villains you may have encountered so far were only there to move the story along (and maybe teach a lesson or two). That old injury that acts up sometimes, that chronic pain that moves around but never really goes away, that thing that is holding you back from living your best life - those things can absolutely feel so villainous...
No one can promise you an easy Journey, but I can promise you that there are Helpers out
here just waiting for you to step out onto the path. I know because I've walked that path before. I've met many monsters and called them by name, and I have watched them crumble into shadows beneath the feet of the One who finally got sick of them. I know because that's the story that we've been telling each other since the beginning, and today I'm telling it to you.
So here's the truth: you are more powerful than you know, and monsters only exist to be slayed.
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