The Hero's Journey

By: Monika Evers

Imagination and dreams seem to come of nowhere. They deliver a hint of a new way things could be and then leave you, knowing the difference...

This is always the start of any Hero’s Journey and it is sneaky, because if you have a shred of entrepreneurial spirit you now have to make a choice. Do you do something about this flash of a business idea or not?

Life and business is full of people who answered the call of their dreams and imagination. They are all on a journey, the “Hero’s Journey” and as Joseph Campbell found out, it is like a human operating system that steers us to maturation as social beings in every cultural group.

The Hero's Journey

Every story starts at the beginning. Unaware of his greatness the hero lives his life in innocence (the Innocent). Life is good, life is today, life is now. Then something happens in their world to change all of that. It is the call of their destiny. Either its from a person they may want to be like or a great idea awakens something inside of them...something they know is their call to destiny.

Our Hero decides to go on a journey of exploration not committing to anything but simply wanting to know little more. What they have learned in the past is no longer valid. They have to learn new ways of thinking and new skills. Life is new, different and interesting. They find someone who has been on this journey before. It is also a choice point. Do they take the journey and commit to it, or do they go back to their old life? Many return to the way things were at this point.

But for those that choose to proceed just how to get this dream or idea to work is the goal, until they find their first client or Investor. This spurs on the Hero into full commitment. Their actions are to achieve more sales. more clients and more success.

And so life continues until...he faces the challenge. This is the test in every business. It could be a rival comes into the picture, cash flow issues, key staff leaving... lack of supply. The challenge may seem insurmountable. Our hero is cut from his perch. It is a challenge of the spirit, for not overcoming this will take him back to the start of his journey, back into hiding, back into not following his greatness.

The secret however he will discover is found within. The inner wisdom that guides our hero into transforming his current circumstances into a new approach, a new lease of life that he can then take out to the marketplace. As a result of overcoming and transforming this adversity he becomes the expert in this field and reaps the reward at the same time claiming his birthright.

Joseph Campbell, found that The Hero’s Journey is in the cultural myths of all peoples. The personalities contained in the journey are known to us all so intimately that each personality has cultural significance to us.

Put in another way. Each personality is emotionally charged.

Application to business

Because our staff are trained in market values we can assist you to uncover those values that will allow you to align to one of these archetypes in the marketplace—Marketypes TM. Innocent for example is how Coke tends to portray itself. Virgin on the other hand is more The Outlaw.

Our staff can also map your existing competitors to uncover the gaps and opportunities that are open to be owned by you.

The Hero's Journey is a psychological and emotional approach to market dominance. It still requires the various market approaches to consolidate your ownership. Owning the Marketype just adds another level of influence that is as palpable as it is authentic. Positioning then becomes even more compelling. Culture lives the values create the promises and and realised into your systems.

 

---