If you spend enough time watching or reading a certain type of story—like Harry Potter, Star Wars, or The Hunger Games—you're probably familiar with the Hero's Journey. The common story structure, popularized by the mythologist Joseph Campbell, provides a template for ancient myths and recent blockbusters. It typically includes around a dozen steps, including a shift in circumstances, a moment of transformation, and, ultimately, a new legacy.
Recent research suggests that reframing your life as a Hero’s Journey is associated with psychological benefits such as enhanced well-being, greater life satisfaction, and reduced depression. “The way people tell their life story shapes how meaningful their lives feel,” study author Benjamin A. Rogers told me. "And you don’t have to live a super heroic life or be a person of adventure—virtually anyone can rewrite their story as a Hero’s Journey.”
Here are three ways to get started:
Practice reflective journaling. Spend time reflecting on your identity, personality, and core values, as well as the experiences and challenges that prompted your journey to become who you are today.Ask yourself who would star in the movie of your life. The person you choose likely inspires you because you relate to some quality they have, like resilience or commitment to excellence. Keeping that in mind can help you begin to see yourself through a more heroic lens.Flip the way you see obstacles. Instead of dwelling on how unfortunate these hurdles are, consider them opportunities for growth and learning. Reframe your challenges as a chance to develop resilience and perseverance, and to be the hero of your own story.
Patients have a long list of reasons to be frustrated with health insurance companies, but so do doctors. High among them, as Cezary Podkul reports for ProPublica, is a clause requiring doctors to pay a fee to receive payments electronically, a charge that adds up to billions annually.
