authoring a hero's journey: finding meaning through story
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authoring a hero’s journey finding meaning through story
Heroes take journeys, confront dragons, and
discover the treasure of their true selves – Carol Pearson
Carta Marina by Olaus Magnus (1490-1557)
we mold memories about the past and shape daydreams about
the future into archplots to give them vivid shape
life is normal, predictable
then the hero wants something (aka object of
desire)
life is normal, predictable
be a presenter
leading to the dragon gap between current &
desired reality
current reality future reality
here be dragons
the hero sets out on a journey
current manner of being | doing
new manner of being | doing
experiencing progressively greater risks
at times things will REALLY suck
what should I talk about? how can I get an abstract
accepted?
OMG, I’m committed… does anyone really care
what I think?
will I choke?
simplified hero’s journey modified from Kathy Sierra’s Where there’s passion, there are stories
creating meaningful change as they overcome each
obstacle
face pain of rejection, risk of
acceptance
quit/don’t quit
naked/not naked
never presented, ok with that
I’m a presenter
once they succeed in crossing the dragon gap, they
achieve a new normal (at least until the next stage of the journey)
I’m a presenter life is normal, predictable once again
why risk it? (who in their right mind wants to face dragons)
Frequently, in the life of a priest, fifty years' experience is one year's experience repeated fifty
times. You get the same solutions to fall back on... Wisdom is to be sensitive to this situation,
to this person, uninfluenced by any carryover from the past, without residue from the
experience of the past. – Anthony de Mello, Awareness
life is normal, predictable
we each, in our own way, want to make a
difference finding meaning in the story that is our life
any serious creative requires serious meditation of death @gapingvoid
The Top 5 Regrets People Have on their Deathbed
If only I’d had the
courage to fulfill my
dreams, living a life
true to myself, not the
life others expected of
me
If only I hadn’t
worked so
hard, stuck on
a treadmill
If only I’d had the courage to express my feelings
Meanest Indian, flickr
If only I’d stayed in touch with my friends,
spending more time with the people I love Kash_if, flickr
If only I’d let myself be happier,
laughing properly,
allowing silliness
If only. Those must be the two saddest words
in the world. – Mercedes Lackey
« le marchand de la mort est mort »
When his brother died, a French newspaper mistakenly ran an
obituary of Alfred Noble referring to him as the merchant of
death. A pacifist at heart, he didn’t want to be remembered as
the merchant of death. He wrote himself a new obituary by
creating the Nobel Prizes.
why wait until
you’re dying?
What do you want your life
to represent?
How do you want to be
remembered?
One day I sat down and wrote two versions of my obituary. The first was the one that I wanted to have. I thought
of the obituaries that I enjoyed reading, the people that I admired. They were the adventurers and risk-takers…
They lived life with a greediness for new experiences, and gumption, and a gung-ho attitude that defied the attempts
of naysayers and nigglers to pigeonhole them or put them down. These people really knew how to live. The second
version was the obituary that I was heading for – a conventional, ordinary life – pleasant and with its moments of
excitement, but always within the safe confines of normality. – Roz Savage
a hero is driven by a controlling idea that shapes the meaning of their story
it’s not your job title or job description that’s
gets you moving
current reality future reality
unless something compels us, we’re not
going to risk the dragon gap
controlling idea a single sentence describing how and why life undergoes
change from one condition of existence at the beginning
to another at the end
purpose enables us to overcome fear, conquer
dragons, and persevere despite the naysayers
WHY
WHAT
HOW
chicken picker
blackjack dealer
night desk clerk
program manager
legislative assistant
technical writer
usability specialist
product designer
manager
director How great leaders inspire action, Simon Sinek
a job title is one aspect of WHAT you do
WHY
WHAT
HOW
a job description is (sort of) HOW you do it
research
facilitate
listen
design
write
explore
teach
tell stories
discover stories
WHY
WHAT
HOW
WHY do you do it? WHY are you here? WHY do
you get out of bed every morning? WHY should
anybody care?
bring more empathy,
emotion and design
into a world dominated
by rational machine
thinking, helping to free
inner designers, artists,
and storytellers
WHY
rider
elephant
purpose gets your elephant moving
our emotional brain (95%)
our rational brain (5%)
inspires
provides meaning
shapes strategic choices
sparks imagination
focuses
allows for emergence
controlling idea dream
purpose
And of course, it was then, and only then, that
the outside world started paying attention. @gapingvoid
Write your obituary based on how you are living your life right
now, assuming no risk.
Give your inner critic a time out. Answer the question “What
would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?” What do you want people
to remember or do as a result of your life story? Write a
second obituary assuming you are living that life.
find your purpose
even with purpose, it can be hard to get your
hero moving that’s where an inciting incident comes in
throw out back 3rd time in 3 months
I have a bad back
2 pager on sun salutations in Canadian
Living
What does it mean to be fit?
I am fit
a turning point revealing the
need to change
Scott Hudson, flickr
something happens to get you moving
cog in the machine
not a key employee
boss from hell
Always. Everyone. Everywhere.
What does it mean to make something customers would
love?
designer of experiences
yearning to travel
no time, money, family obligations… no travel
hey, free Mandarin lessons
What does it mean to experience another
culture?
explorer seeking experiences to learn to see
set a trigger
book a date
say yes
announce it
jump in the deep end
incite yourself
beware the resistance whispering (shouting) in your hero’s ear
fear of dragons kicks your lizard brain into high gear
a hero develops a growth mindset
I
I determine my world. I am responsible
for me. I can choose.
I statements allow me to be in control,
put the focus on my awareness, make me
independent, assume my ability to choose jimmyharris flickr
a hero acts
if you let your lizard brain have it’s way, you convert
yourself from hero into victim needing saving
Lel4nd flickr
Refusal of the summons converts the adventure into its
negative. Walled in boredom, hard work, or "culture," the
subject loses the power of significant affirmative action and
becomes a victim to be saved. His flowering world becomes a
wasteland of dry stones and his life feels meaningless.
– Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
they
The world happens to me. They are
responsible for... They prevent me from…
They statements assume power is in them,
put the focus outside myself, make me
dependent, assume my subordinance
.
a victim has a fixed mindset
a victim is chained by their assumptions
a victim reacts
Editors are not the enemy; critics are not the
enemy. Resistance is the enemy. The battle is
inside our own heads. – Steven Pressfield, War of Art
Put this program into action, a thousand times:
a) identify the negative feelings in you;
b) understand that they are in you, not in the
world, not in external reality;
c) do not see them as an essential part of "I";
these things come and go;
d) understand that when you change, everything
changes.
– Anthony de Mello, Awareness
a hero’s quest is NOT a neatly plotted plan
by this point
in your life,
you
should…
I distrust plot for two reasons: first, because
our lives are largely plotless, even when you
add in all our reasonable precautions and
careful planning; and second, because I believe
plotting and the spontaneity of real creation
aren't compatible. A strong enough situation
renders the whole question of plot moot. – Stephen King
controlling idea
A B
predictable future
step 1 step 2 step 3 step 4 step 5
clear present
seanmcgrath, flickr
planning assumes a predictable future based on past experiences a capacity for prediction we don’t possess
life is messy
A ?
?
?
?
?
?
unexpected obstacles will appear
assumptions may be wrong final destination is unclear
the hero learns, grows, and changes along
their journey, altering both the journey and
the final destination
since you can’t predict the future, you need to
prototype, play, experiment to learn
B
A fuzzy goal
Gamestorming, Dave Gray
unpredictable future
the only way I can get anything
written at all is to write really, really
shitty first drafts – Anne Lamott
B
A
shitty first drafts
future story (obit)
great stories aren’t written according to a plan
Illustration by Kim Sokol
Doesn’t that sound neat, to implement a story, rather
than implement a plan? I don’t know about you but I
get tired of implementing plans. Plans always feel like
they keep you in a box. A story is something else. It’s
pulsing. It’s breathing. It’s alive! – Madelyn Blair
What if vampires invaded a small New England
village? Salem's Lot
What if I had only 37 days to let to live? Life is a Verb, Patti Digh
What if ______________________
pose what if questions
heroes learn to see changing the world by becoming aware
how do I see this person?
CFO
NOT
seeing
I’ve got a thankless role with
the diciest risk/reward ratio of
any job short of a Navy Seal.
How will you
help me
make
money or
reduce costs?
How does this person see themselves and their situation?
seeing
Todd Baker << technowannabe flickr
Large Plastic Bag
Grand Canyon Mute Aleutian Pretzel Man
This wasn’t
Large Plastic Bag Grand Canyon Mute Aleutian Pretzel Man this was a real person with a name and
a history and stories that make him
laugh and cry. He was a who, not a
what, just like me. – Patti Digh
Say Hi to Yaron
when you’re listening or observing, pay
attention to how you’re reacting, what you’re
thinking, how you’re judging
If there’s a message
to my work, it is
ultimately that it’s
okay to be different,
that it’s good to be
different, that we
should question
ourselves before we
pass judgment on
someone who looks
different, behaves
different, talks
different, is a
different color. – Johnny Depp
how do you learn to see? to find the story? ask questions to understand
What do they
HEAR? boss
colleagues
influencers
friends
What do they
SEE? environment
friends
colleagues
what work offers
What do they
THINK & FEEL & FEAR? what really counts
major preoccupations
worries &
aspirations
What do they
SAY & DO? attitude in public
appearance
behavior towards others
PAIN fears | frustrations | obstacles
www.gogamestorm.com
GAIN wants/needs | measures of success | obstacles
empathy (magic if) who are they? what if I were in their situation?
play explore the possible
Stuart Brown, Play is More than Fun
conversations mixing different voices with your own
The family is shaped by the direction in which it points its conversation. It can focus on its
memories and basically keep on saying: “this is the way we are, this is what the different
members of the family have done and are doing.” Or it may treat itself as a base from which its
members set out to explore the outside world, and to which they return with something new to
say, so that conversation is constantly enriched by outside as well as inside happenings. We
become the prisoners of our families, our genes, our memories, only if we wish to be prisoners. It
is by conversations with others, by mixing different voices with our own, that we can turn our
individual life into an original work of art.
– Theodore Zeldin, Conversation
art make objects that talk and then listen to them
experimentation break boundaries and pursue unexplored
avenues of thought
-ilonQua- on Gosia Janik, flickr
experience the future explore life as it might be
Patricia Moore, Experiencing the Future
flip focus change the frame to change the meaning
man in suit sitting in chair
(assumptions get in the way)
lines and relationships
(see past assumptions)
asshole! (assumptions leads to judgment)
mom? (flipping focus reframes meaning)
Asurroca, flickr
Open your eyes and focus on whatever you observed before – that plant or leaf or
dandelion. Look it in the eye, until you feel it looking back at you. Feel that you are
alone with it on Earth! That it is the most important thing in the universe, that it
contains all the riddle of life and death. It does! You are no longer looking, you are
SEEING… – The Zen of Seeing, by Frederick Franck
Neal, flickr
This power is in the focus. The act of observing, in
and of itself, makes a difference, in the material
world. Learning a new language, for example, is
relatively easy; it's just that you have to stop
paying attention to your current language to create
the new circuits. – Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz
becoming aware is about learning to see past
our assumptions
our judgments
the lenses we use to frame the world
all authors need to heavily edit their work
Our experience quite literally is defined by our assumptions about life. We make
stories about the world and to a large degree live out their plots. What our lives
are like depends to great extent on the script we consciously, or more likely,
unconsciously, have adopted. – Carol Pearson, The Hero Within
an edited backstory gives a more powerful
foundation for the future story
yearbook designer athlete teacher
Rex Pe, flickr matzoball stambler, flickr shinealight, flickr
if you’re not happy with your backstory, edit it
until it provides you with the emotional weight you
need to support you on your journey
Pink Sherbet Photography, flickr
If the writer reinvents character, he must
reinvent story. A changed character must make
new choices, take different actions, and live
another story – his story. – Robert McKee
freewriting… Remember back to [youth | last year…] to
a time when you were doing something fun or
exciting. Don’t think. Just write for 5 minutes
without taking your hands of the keyboard.
to wrap
When organizations, causes, brands or individuals
identify and develop a
core story,
they create and display authentic meaning and
purpose that others can believe in, participate with,
and share. This is the basis for cultural and social
change. – Pamela Rutledge
each piece of art* you create along your
journey
enlarges your reality
enlarges the reality of your audience (calling their belief systems into question)
infuses itself into the myths that shape our understanding of the world
*podcast, blog post, tweet, story, presentation, meeting, infographic, conversation, workshop, garden…
that’s why Plato tried to have storytellers expelled as dangerous people who wrap seductive, emotionally charged ideas in story
if you focus on your hero’s character
learning to see & discover a controlling idea for your life story
purpose & meaning
the plot will write itself
the hero is already within you stop waiting. start writing.
NOW compound interest
simple interest
writer’s block?
just start!
(remember, shitty first drafts)
Treat it like an adventure. An adventure worth sharing. @gapingvoid
your life story
the hero is within you
by learning to see
you become author of your life story
you will encounter dragons
each dragon you slay creates meaningful change
with purpose powering you
you push forward on your quest
one shitty first draft at a time
you won’t be alone
because purpose attracts
creating change
to recap
The Hero with a Thousand Faces & The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell
Getting Things Done When You Are Not In Charge, Geoffrey Bellman
Your Brain at Work, David Rock
Story, Robert McKee
Art & Fear, David Bayles & Ted Orland
Life is a Verb, Patti Digh
The Story Factor, Annette Simmons
@gapingvoid
Tell to Win, Peter Gruber
Start with Why, Simon Sinek
The Power of Story, Jim Loehr
Awareness, Anthony De Mello
Stephen King, On Writing
Bird by Bird, Ann Lamott
Seth Godin, Linchpin
Switch, Dan & Chip Heath
Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely
Art of Possibility, Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander
Influencer: The Power to Change Everything, Kerry Patterson
First Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work, Robert Kegan & Lisa Lahey
credits
@joyce_hostyn
jhostyn@opentext.com
slideshare.net/joyce_hostyn
joycehostyn.com/blog stay in touch
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