Hello, Hero!

(Inspired by a Christian Gálvez Seminar in Stuttgart, 10. Feb 2018)

A hero is an adventurer. A hero is a person who takes risks, sets off on a journey and wins. An entrepreneur. An explorer. A traveller. An opportunist. A celebrity. Big stuff. A personality. A somebody. A star. A champion. A winner. Numero uno. A paladin. A sympathizer. Top dog. A conqueror. An idol. A darling. A beloved one. A favorite person. A role model. An original.

Now, there is one movie playing all the time in your life. That movie is called “ME”. In that movie you hold the main role. You are the hero! (Please, look once again at the synonyms above. If you like, think back on the times you have shown those qualities.)

Now, ask yourself: if your life was a movie, what kind of a movie would it be like?

A drama? A horror? A thriller? Crime? Psycho? Comedy? A love and romance film? A feel-good movie? A documentary? Pornography?

Where does the evil come from? Are you the villain? The criminal?

Who is in your team? Who are your friends? What are their roles and qualities? Do they make your movie get a more colorful picture?

Is this the best role you could play? Does it mirror your life purpose and values? Does it fit you? Are you proud of it?

Would you like to see the movie? Or would you rather hide it or burn it so that nobody gets hold of it? Would you show it openly to your children? Under 12? Under 16? Who is the right target group? Who will appreciate and enjoy it?

Are you having the adventure of your life?

Is there a super-natural power helping you?

Is this an award-winning film?

Who wrote the story? Do you like the story? Do you want to change the story?

Do all dots meet retrospectively? How will the movie make sense at the end?

And, of course, how do you like your own movie? Do you feel proud of it? Are you proud of the hero? Is the hero authentic?

Will the main actor be award nominated? Is that important at all?

The Hero is you. You have been the hero of your life from the very beginning. You are the hero of your own movie. You play on the stage of your life and perform. Every day. If you want it or not, you are in the leading role. You have it all in your hand. Some of the scenes you will need to film over and over again until you like the result. For some shots will be possible only once.

Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, studied myths and wrote a great book on his revelations. In the book, he discusses his theory of the journey of the archetypal hero, found in world mythologies. Since the book's publication, Campbell's theory has been consciously applied by a wide variety of modern writers and artists. It is called “The Hero With The Thousand Faces”. There, he gathered the plots of great myths, analyzed their skeleton and exposed their pattern for the first time.

All great story-telling, consciously or not, follows the patterns of a myth, and can be understood and explained in terms of the “The Hero” myth. The hero deals with universal questions such as “Who am I”. “Why was I born?” “How can I overcome my life problems and be happy?”

There are different stages each Hero story goes through. Such as:

The hero is in the normal world.

The hero gets “A Calling” – a mission he or she needs to accomplish.

The start in the unknown adventure.

The difficult exams.

The treasure/ princess.

Going back to the normal world, changed.

Take a moment and think back. When were the times you really had a classic hero story? Today?

And of course, a hero is never alone. She has a team. They, together, overcome difficulties and write the great story of their lives. Think about your team and feel some gratitude. Thanks to all those people you were able to accomplish your hero story and go for the next one.

The hero must take care of 4 pillars inside of himself – body, spirit, heart and soul. All of those pillars need to be full in order for the hero to keep his speed and energy up. How good do you take care of your pillars, dear hero?

There are 3 basic needs everybody, also heroes, try to satisfy in their interactions with other human beings or heroic team members:

Security + Self-worth + Bonding

On the long run, relationships fall apart if these 3 basic needs are not satisfied. So, does your hero fulfil those needs in his team or other people?

In order to be a great hero, your hero needs to be aware of his self-worth (think of James Bond or Indiana Jones – they point quite high here). Do some self-worth training – that is being aware of the own worthiness. You "just" need to tell yourself how great you are. And how good you managed and overcame the obstacles. Look back, daily, and see what went well. Where were you at your best? Whom did you inspire? Whose day improved through your presence? What did you learn?

And, remember, nothing has a meaning but the meaning we give. This is a very important quality for every great hero - to make meaning the way he likes to have it. So, instead of saying: “Yes but” try saying: “Yes and” (“that is right… so what”).

If someone tells you: “You have greasy hair.” Don’t go for: “But that is unfair!” Maybe you want to try answering: “Yes, and, I can use it … instead of butter during breakfast!” (“That is right, so what?”) That looks to be a great approach for bullies of any type. No unwanted meaning should stick on you unless you think you like it.

Last but not least, how to do a great presentation on any topic/ story if invited, totally unprepared? You can do a great presentation on your story following the VEGAZ model.

Vergangenheit (what happened in the past)

Entwicklung (what development you undergo)

Gegenwart (how is it now)

Andere (what do others: scientists, friends, or colleagues say about it)

Zukunft (future out view)

Think about it, you play every day. Why not change some settings here and there for maximal job satisfaction and joy? Maybe you want to develop your hero? Put some new great skills and features? Do some noble deeds? Get new friends? Move to a new place that better fits your story? Change anything you need - it is your movie! You are the hero! The adventurer. The person who takes risks, sets off on a journey and wins. The entrepreneur. The explorer. The traveller. The opportunist. The celebrity. Big stuff. The personality. The somebody. The star. The champion. The winner. Numero uno. The paladin. The sympathizer. Top dog. The conqueror. The idol. The darling. The beloved one. You are the favorite person. You are the role model. You are the original.

Just, never give up! Never stop and turn back. Persist and keep going!

And, action!