The Art of Resilience
This is when I really started looking into the Hero’s Journey, inspired and created by Joseph Campbell. What I learned is all great hero’s stories have this arc. We all go through these ups and downs of growth and it’s necessary for us to evolve into our greater purpose.
Comfort can be dangerous. When I was at a crossroads, I phoned an old friend I hadn’t talked to in almost 30 years. He was 30 years my senior and a mentor to me (although he never knew he was). We met when I was doing stand-up comedy in my 20s and he had just retired from business a wealthy man and wanted to stretch his creative muscles by trying stand-up comedy himself. He had a dream, he told me, and he was hellbent on pursuing it. I lost touch with him after a few years but reconnected with him when I was facing my personal crucible. I was surprised to learn he lost all his money in a business deal that went south.
I asked him how he handled such a challenging time.
“Money can make you feel Teflon, like nothing can touch you,” he said with not a hint of regret. He then added the essence of what he was really saying, “What happens when that perceived security is ripped away from you? I tell you what happens. You discover who your friends really are, you’ll find out who really loves you. My wife, Carol, stood by me through it all and never wavered. She was my rock. And you know the most important thing I learned when you lose it all? —You discover yourself.”
I thought about that for a long while. I can also add to this, “What happens when the career that came so easily is ripped away from you? You discover your true purpose.”
Think about this today: What would you do if all the money you made was suddenly gone or the career that you invested your life in was no more? Who would you be? What would you do? If you had one year to live, how would you live it? Everyone will face this and tomorrow is promised to no one.
Time will pass, money will come and go, your work life will change. All these things are gifts that present you with the chance to find out who you were truly meant to be.
If times are tough, don’t give up. If it feels like you are alone, make note of that one true friend that is standing by your side—they are your ally. Reach out to that mentor that you haven’t spoken with in decades, they most likely have been through everything you are going through. Most importantly, use this time to ask three important questions:
Who am I?
Why am I here?
How can I share my unique gifts with the world?
Don’t try to answer these questions, instead sit and wait for the answers to arrive. Because when we surrender, the Universe begins co-creating with us and takes us places we would have never traveled on our own.
Good luck on your Hero’s Journey.
