Embracing Your Hero Journey For Life Satisfaction
Some people call it a midlife crisis, others don’t call it anything at all. But frequently, somewhere in their
forties or fifties, many people start to feel lost. They think there has to be more to life than “this,” meaning work, responsibilities, and a feeling of drudgery, boredom and frustration. There is. Instead of thinking of this as a crisis, think of it instead as a hero’s journey. This is your hero’s journey, and if you go through it the right way, you can come out the other side happier, healthier, and transformed.
Embrace your hero journey
Many people, despite feeling frustrated with life as it is, resist the idea of changing. They’re unhappy with life as it is, but it’s familiar and comfortable and they don’t want to give that up for the unknown. Most of the time, however, that unknown is much better and happier than what they’re currently living with. Once they realize that, they wonder why they resisted for so long.
Embrace the journey. Embrace the idea of changing your life, of being happier, of undergoing a transformation that will make you a better person, and give you a happier life.
Participate wholeheartedly in your hero journey
Take the opportunity to shake things up and dive right in. Try new things, explore new ideas and places, and meet new people who challenge your perceptions of life as it is.
Try new ways of getting fit – take a yoga class if you’ve always lifted weights, or try zumba if you’re a yogi. Experiment with new, healthy foods. Get rid of unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking, or unsafe sex, and replace them with healthier, safer ones.
Look for new hobbies, new restaurants and parks and museums, or even just new books by authors you’ve never read before. Look for opportunities to do something different, so you can see how it feels to depart from the day-to-day grind.
Use caution with your hero journey
While you should embrace the journey and participate in this opportunity to learn new things about yourself, you should also make sure that you’re cautious not to get yourself into trouble. Don’t overextend yourself financially in your attempts to try new things. Don’t jeopardize current relationships to explore new ones. If you’ve been a rather inactive person up to this point, check in with your doctor before you start working out to ensure that your health can handle the sudden change.
The sense of restlessness and the desire to branch out and explore different things can fuel new passions or even a career change for the better. Rather than resist it, or try to drown out the feeling with drugs or alcohol, take the chance to step outside your comfort zone and see what’s out there. You’ll likely find yourself on the other side, stronger, happier, and more alive than you’ve felt in a long time.
