Humans love stories. We are drawn to, and remember narratives. From , “Once upon a time…” and our earliest childhood books, the stories are told and tell ourselves shape who we become. The writer Joanthan Gottshall goes so far as to call us the Storytelling Animal - homo fictus (go check him out if you don’t already know his work). The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.
I believe the stories we tell, and those we are told, shape us to our very core. Those archetypes run deep, they change our lives and create world around us. They make sense of how we feel, what’s happening to us, our identities, where we’ve come from, where we’re going and where we are today… Not having our story heard is one of the major forms of harm and causes of human trauma and misery. Words are powerful.
Your story is yours to tell. So how to begin to make sense? One way is to use models: those maps left by others who have travelled this way before us. I spent a decade working on researching and producing making models of behaviour change for governments: the powerful know they’re useful. Useful as lenses to look at the world by: to enable theory to be put into practice. But it depends on who’s looking and how: for me they permit me to change my perspective and see from multiple new viewpoints.
Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’ popped into my head this morning, so I am sharing the one I drew in my journal today. It’s not just for Star Wars, but can be seen as a map to guide us through the unknown, liminal space. It’s a fascinating, rangey work, and the model distills some of the key elements into a usable yantra - a model through which to check for sense and find the shore when swimming in the ocean of not knowing - as Suleika Jaoud so wonderfully puts it.
So now, at this midpoint of the year, I find it’s a good point to pause and reflect. The middle is often a time of forgetting and getting caught up & bogged down… or getting caught up in the sparkle of a new beginning jumping into something new… or doubling down to do the work. I’ve spent this morning taking some time to journal and notice, tuning into the question, meditating and listening to my inside voice.
Using the Hero’s Journey map it’s possible to check in: where am I? What’s standing out? How’s this mid point for me? Keep going or move on? What’s working? Noticing this is a huge threshold crossing point for me I have decided to take action and adjust course. Other years I have abandoned ship and razed it all to the ground. It’s all good. And helps me to learn: to notice patterns and not keep repeating those same old mistakes. Take the life lessons. Notice what you have and learn from the mistakes. Save precious time and life energy. Build wisdom for the future. Reflect on what you could to stabilise mission-critical areas of your life: relationships, creative work, home, family, health, income, resources, spirit, body, love, use of time. Consider priorities.
What did I find, here in liminal space? I have found that I am on the other side of everything. Outwardly, there’s very little to see. Inwardly, it’s a vast journey. I’m going to take this opportunity to adjust my mindset and behaviours. To lighten up. To simplify, to clean, release and let go of all that’s irrelevant and spent items that won’t help going forward. To make space. Let’s see what unfolds. It’s a joy to begin again, and again, and again.
So - what’s your story? I love to listen and to share. Everyone has a story to tell.
I find this season to be overwhelming in so many ways and I find myself immersed in anxiety, restlessness, trepidation. I appreciate your suggestion to take some time to re-evaluate my "story" and see where patterns lie, what needs are not being met, or which paths might be cleared for exploration. And I love the idea of using mapping in this way. One thought keeps coming to mind in my journaling the past few days: expectations. The first six months of this year have been quiet, contemplative and rich in time to think and write. Now, however, constant movement and action seems to be needed...at least that's how it feels. This will require some contemplation, but I can see that a stepping back, an abstinence from action, and a removing of myself from expectation will be beneficial. Very thought provoking, Nina!