The Heart of Your Journey
The heroic journey tells the truth about the basic experience of being a teenager and provides common ground for conversations with peers and adults – the conversations that help you become the author of your life and deal with the challenges and tests on the journey.
The underlying pattern of the journey provides a common understanding of the territory, but each person will experience the journey in their own way.
#1 Yes, You Really are on a Heroic Journey
The teenage years are a noble journey. You are naturally thrown from the known of childhood into the unknown of being a teenager
- “But I’m not a hero.” How our stories differ from the myths
- It’s the basic story of change and you will encounter journeys of change throughout life – it’s just the way life works
#2 It’s about figuring out how to be the author of your life
The heart of the journey is becoming the author of your life – taking charge & taking responsibility. You can’t control the journey, but you can have a surprising amount of influence over the experience.
#3 You will encounter two types of heroic journey
Every teenager’s developmental journey (“adolescence”) is a given. There will probably be some specific journeys of change triggered by specific events or experiences.
It’s Every Teenager’s Story, But Looks Different for Each Person
The journey will look different for everyone, but there is a basic pattern underlying the journey that you will share. Remember – every teenager you know is on the journey – so help each other.
From the Known to the Unknown – There is No Choice
Becoming a teenager is not a choice. It just happens – to everyone. You can expect to leave the known world of childhood and cross a threshold into a new world of mystery and challenges and tests and new experiences. You can expect the fastest period of growth and development since you were an infant.
