Advice from someone who has done it.
A lot of people get to hear about the hero’s journey as a concept or experience and interpretation of it in the movies.
There has been a convenience in being the passive observer. Superman, Batman, Catwoman, and other similar heroes are either thrown into a situation which they decide to make their responsibility or discover on their own that it appears to be their calling to change the world, rid it of an evil, or establish a new norm and foundation.
We can sit in front of a TV screen (or used to sit in a movie theater) and watch them do it, admire their courage, determination, bravery and almost always, ultimate success.
What 2020 has shown many people is an ability to be brave, overcome challenging times and situations, adjust to new circumstances, and become less afraid of the unknown.
In this unusual year we were passive and looked for guidance from those in leadership positions, but often we were also asked to decide what we want to do or how we will change our approach, our environment, our habits,
It looks like we will get help on the health front from vaccines for those who want to go that route and form more and more impactful information about the improvement of our nutrition, exercise, and all-around ways to strengthen our immune system.
If you really think about it, you don’t see a sickly hero, afraid of getting infected by the deadly virus, overweight, riddled with joint pain and all kinds of other results of unhealthy behaviors.
Our heroes are always fit, mentally and physically — almost as a prerequisite — so they have a reasonable chance to embark on their journey, slay the dragon and succeed in their quest.
That has been known and 2020 has shown us that it is a matter of survival. People who live healthily, make sure that they have great nutrition, stay fit and trim and develop an extra-strong immune system did not have to worry nearly as much, even as others struggled in hospitals.
What does that mean for 2021?
If you haven’t started yet, it is vital to change your habits for eating and keeping yourself and your family fit. Learn about the contents of the food your are eating. There are great resources online to find out what are the really important ingredients in what we eat are and what things we should avoid.
Did you know that our food manufacturers often make healthy food only when they are forced to?
Study after study has shown that food manufacturers are not in any way similar to food producers. Food producers are farmers. The most conscious ones want to make sure that their food is as perfect, healthy and untreated with pesticides, herbicides and other unhealthy chemicals. You find them in the organized sections of stores but can only be sure they are really as good as they claim they are if you find stores that reality check that what is on their shelves is really produced to the highest and healthiest standards. (in your regular grocery store that is not always the case and you can tell if what the label or sign by the box says is really true)
For the commercial manufacturers, they have turned growing food and food products into an industrial endeavor where the most efficient way to generate the highest amount of volume for the lowest possible price is paramount.
The result are fields on farms that have no more natural plats, no weeds, no animal life in the soil. The seeds the farmers use are created to survive regular spraying. The final product looks perfect. We have gone so far that the supermarket will not accept a crooked cucumber, a zucchini that a little too long, too thin, too bent, etc. Everything has to look as perfect as can be, no matter if it has any nutritional value.
You can buy articles that look like the items you are looking for but they don’t nourish you as you expect and in the process, all the chemicals that were used to create them accumulate in your body and make you weak. No way you can be a hero doing that.
Some of you might say: “How do I know?”
The first step is to read the labels. If you take a little time during the holidays to educate yourself about the things that make you strong and allow you to fight the fights in 2021 — and win, you will know what should be in the food you buy and what should not be there. Here is a place to start your review.
It’s important that you eat healthy right away. Get strong. Aim to become a hero.
For 2021, identify a massive goal you want to accomplish.
You as the hero want to feel a call to embark on that adventure. Don’t worry that you will feel uncertain and have some fear. That’s totally normal.
Don’t go on the journey alone — find a mentor., If your goal includes residential real estate investing and building a legacy for your family, I would be happy to be your mentor. If your goal is something else, find a suitable mentor. Have a few conversations and you will know if there is a good connection, if you click and if you can see this person to be your guide and helper on your journey.
Then you need to make a plan. The best time could be after you completed the holiday celebrations and before the new year starts. You will not know all the steps and even with a mentor, there will be things that have to emerge over time. Most importantly, set a start date by when you will take action. Anything longer than 4 weeks in the future will doom the whole journey. Be brave and start sooner rather than later.
You know you will run into challenges and even with a mentor, they have to be overcome. They will take some time, but you will keep your goal in sight. In the process, you will find your tribe of like-minded people who are on their hero’s journey and will share your path for part of the way.
You know that there will be a point people call “The Abyss”. That’s why the movies have a dragon. You might not have to fight for life and death but you know there will be a point where you have to fight and make really big changes to have a chance to get to the other side.
That fight is what actually gives you the mental strength for the future. Yes, you were the hero who knew what you wanted when you started. The fight will reinforce your desire, show you that you can do things you thought possible and win.
Hero’s aren’t selfish. Your journey and the fight will teach you valuable lessons. Those insights are not only for you to keep but to share. You form your new understanding of what is possible.
In the field of residential real estate investing I went on my journey with my wife and ultimately accumulated enough properties so I never have to worry about having enough money to pay all my bills while living in a nice location on this planet. When we described our fight and things we experienced, people told us that we should share and now we do that every day. It deepens our understanding, adds new nuances, but most gratifying, it allows us to help others on their hero’s journey.
People have asked me what the true end of the hero’s journey is. Often I hear that accomplishing what was initially put as a vision or a goal is the end of the journey.
I beg to differ and suggest that there is no real end of the journey. Actually, you transition from the hero of your own journey to the mentor of other people’s journeys. In that sense, you are either on your own journey or help someone on theirs.
There is no end to the journeys. What’s most important is that you determine what your initial goal and trigger to start a hero’s journey needs to be for 2021 and then get yourself ready to embark on an exciting adventure.