There’s a lot in literature and in film showing the idea of the heroes’ journey. I’ve written about it before. The classic text about it is ‘Hero with a thousand faces’ by Joseph Campbell. The Star Wars movies draw on a lot of hero archetypes. I’ve often heard the idea that life begins at the edge of the comfort zone and I believe this to be true. It has to be balanced with good emotional intelligence but there’s a sweet spot of growth for us all to find. The space where we are growing and expanding into something new. Being creative and making a new canvas so we’re getting better so our lives become more triumphant. Life has to be about somehow living into the hero archetype I think.

I’ve noticed in my own life and also professional experience of moving from Counselling and then also into Coaching how it can become easy to stay in a comfortable space. I really recognised myself through all my Counselling training and using the methodology on myself that had such amazing benefits that it could also non intentionally keep in a loop of doing the same and reinforcing the same state and not actually moving us into our fullest potential.

There’s lots now in the area of wellbeing and life balance and as much as I do think this is a great thing I’ve become aware of a potential dark side that it can keep us from growing and can in fact make us more neurotic rather than less.

I experienced it myself in conversation with my personal/business coach when we were discussing life and goals and realised that it was in fact an over-focus on a balance and plodding along which was in fact stressful. The idea of playing into a new game which is bigger while bringing with it a new stress was something which was more expansive and was the way forward. There is such a thing as ‘healthy stress’.

I experience it with my clients too as I work to create a balance between Counselling and Coaching when we have done a good level of healing work to actually really be playing into the new. It’s a delicate balance and there’s a sweet spot to find. I believe life is ultimately about growth.

So I wanted to give you this point of reflection to think about if you are at your courage edge or are you too comfortable ? Are you in the process of being your own hero ?