A Look at the Power of Myth with Joseph Campbell

For those of you who wanted to know more about the Quote of the Week: Follow Your Bliss, this video is a brief, but more in depth look at the hero’s journey and following your bliss.

Campbell equated these two concepts very skillfully. If we look at almost all heroic myths, or even modern day hero stories, we recognize that a hero only becomes a hero when he or she does what they know to be right for themselves and others despite adversity to their quest.

Striving in lieu of that adversity is what Campbell insists we must do if we are to find and follow our bliss. He constantly told his students to forget about the money, forget about what other people think you SHOULD do, look within yourself, find what brings you joy, and make the decision to do it.

Realize that this is no easy task. Hero journeys rarely are. It requires intense presence so we can pick up on what truly speaks to us. Cultivate beingness first, and often that bliss will reveal itself. Furthermore, it takes a healthy dose of courage. No hero ever succeeded by giving into their fear.

Fear will always be present to some degree. It is a natural part of human existence. What we must learn to do is to make peace with that fear. Just as an example, I am a performer. Sometimes I am terrified of going out on stage. But you know what? I do it anyway. Because that’s what you do when you’re a performer or any kind of artist. You put yourself out there for better or worse even though you are afraid. You learn that fear is natural. You learn not to fear the fear.

Get out there, be courageous, and find what brings you joy.

By Terence Stone

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