Calling all heroes!

Hello, everyone. I'm Katie McManus, business strategist and leadership coach. Happy Thursday. We are almost done with the week. I don't know about you, but it has been an action packed week on my behalf. It started off, I think it was Monday or Tuesday morning. I had my skylight open all night just because it was such a warm day the day before. And I woke up at 7am with a squirrel, a very large, pregnant squirrel trying to scratch through the screen. Scared the bejesus out of me. I screamed it, ran away. I closed the skylight. And that's how our week started. But exciting news. Our week is wrapping up with Check that puppy out. I have my very first moderna. Moderna shot. Is that how you pronounce it? So in about six weeks, I will be okay. From the coronavirus. I'm very excited about it. The topic I want to talk about tonight is something that I was actually kind of beating my brain up against the wall trying to figure out what I wanted to go live about tonight because I really wanted to go live every single day. And it's just been one of those days that's taken me in a million different directions and I didn't know how to summarize it in the way that I normally do. So anyway, whenever that happens, my go to is I turn to this bookshelf that I have next to me and I just pick up a book and I open it to a random page and I let whatever's on that page inform me of, you know, what I should talk about. And it really blew my. It actually kind of freaked me out. The theme that's been showing up this week for me is the topic of heroes and the hero's journey. And literally I picked up synchronicity, which is the inner path of leadership. I haven't actually read this book. It just sits on my bookshelf because I bought it at some point thinking that it looked interesting. But I opened it up and it was the front page to the chapter on Heroes and the Hero's Journey, talking all about Joseph Campbell, if you're aware of him. So he came up with this framework for how we tell stories and how we've told stories throughout time. And there are so many ways this works in your business. So I really want to dive into it tonight because it is fascinating and I want to talk about the archetype of the hero and how it shows up in our lives and how it shows up in our own journeys. So heroism is a choice that we all get to live in the hero's journey, the hero is the main character. The hero is the one that gets sent out on this adventure, usually not wanting to be sent out on adventure. And they have to fight dragons, and they have to overcome challenges, and they have to find allies and a guide or a teacher, and they have to do some introspection and some growth, and then they have to fight the final battle, and then they have to come home. And I find this concept fascinating because there are. I mean, we're all the heroes of our own lives, right? We're all the. And hi, whoever's watching, welcome. And just so you know, I'm doing this on streamyard. Sometimes the comments don't come through from Facebook. I realized, you know, it was working really well for a while, and then it got disconnected again. So I don't know what's happening. So if you're commenting and I'm not calling you out, please. No, it's not you. It's just the technology. It's imperfect. We're working with what we've got. But anyway, so people get to actually opt into their hero's journey because we're all the hero of our own life, right? You are the main character of your life. Hi, Kevin. Talking about heroes, Kevin is an amazing lawyer who helps. I'm going to hit the mic. Who helps people who are looking to get their green cards gain citizenship here in the US Talk about helping and changing a part of the world. So welcome, Kevin. Thank you for watching. And it's from Facebook. So the Facebook's working. Awesome. Good. Okay, awesome. So, anyway, hero's journey. Your hero's journey is yours. You get to decide this. Oh, you're a huge Joseph Campbell fan. Me, too. Joseph Campbell. Just a side tangent. So he wrote this book, the Hero with a Thousand Faces, I think, and I think that was the basis for the whole Star wars trilogy. I mean, just what's typical in a hero's journey is, like, the hero, his life, just his or her life is just going along, you know, as it always has. And then something abrupt happens. The paradigm shifts. You know, a dragon lands in their town and starts eating livestock. Or their company's bought out by this big, like, mega brand that, you know, starts gutting everything. And that hero then has to step outside of their comfort zone. And usually the first thing that they do is they find a teacher or a guide. And then along the way, they have to get tools. Maybe they have to learn how to program something, or they have to, you know, get a certain magical sword. They make Friends, they make allies, people who will then show up for them when the going gets tough later in the story. They also create enemies who create more problems down the road. And then, you know, they fight small battles, you know, just building up to the big battle. And then they have the big battle, but it's not actually the final thing. The final thing is they actually have to come home to themselves. They have to like, it's called going into the cave. Like, there's some reckoning that has to happen internally. And then they have another big battle and then they go home. I think that's the order. And I wanted to say, like, this is the story of an entrepreneur. This is absolutely the story of an entrepreneur. So an entrepreneur is going, you know, through their life, you know, working for corporate, you know, doing the thing, punching in, punching out, you know, inputting data every single day until one day something happens. And I think, I just can't fucking do this anymore. I can't do this anymore. I can't wear just. I'm wearing beige. I can't just be the beige version of myself. I can't just go in and strip myself of all authenticity and only show like the nice and pleasant parts of myself. I can't hide my freak flags anymore. I can't do stuff that doesn't light me up. Sorry, I'm getting a phone call. I can't do stuff that doesn't light me up anymore. That's the version of the dragon showing up in their life. And so they have to make a change. They start by maybe downloading PDFs of how to start a business or researching what kinds of things they could even do. They seek out teachers and mentors and guides people who are a few steps ahead of them. And. Hi, John, welcome. Thank you for joining me. Oh, and thanks, Kevin. You rock too. But anyway, and then, you know, they take on bigger and bigger challenges. I'm working with a lot of my clients right now who are coming to the point where they have to take on this next big challenge. Okay. Or they have to wrangle a tool that is really, really critical to their business, like their website or, you know, putting themselves out there in just a different way that they're not used to. And I have to say, you know, it takes so much bravery to go out there. And here's the thing that I always say about bravery is that bravery doesn't feel like bravery when you're in it. Bravery feels like shit. Bravery feels like you're second guessing yourself and this isn't working. And I don't know how to do this and blah, blah, blah. And oh, my God, this is really frustrating. Bravery feels like looking at everyone else and seeing how everyone else is doing it perfectly as well. When you're not doing it well, but you're in it and you're doing it, and that's what matters. You're showing up. That's what the hero does. The hero shows up. Even if they have outdated armor, even if they don't, they aren't as powerful or as strong as their opponent, they still show up. The. The hero's journey is never over because, you know, they. They take. They take the pen and they start writing the narrative of their own lives. You know, their life was going perfectly fine and perfectly, you know, in accordance to this generic plan beforehand, but then they decided that they needed to leave, they needed to move on, they needed to take, take control and start taking action to change the world for the better. Not just their lives, but the world. This is one of the things that I love about my work so much, is that the entrepreneurs, the coaches, the consultants, the writers, the lawyers, the people that I work with, they don't just want to, you know, make a shit ton of money. They don't want to be millionaires. That's not like the thing that drives them. They actually want to make an impact on the world. They want to change it for the better. They want to actually step into their hero pants and go and collect some tools and take on some challenges. And I'm lucky enough that I get to be the guide for them in how to do this whole thing. And they want to take on this big challenge of building a business that has impact in the world, that slays dragons that are out there. And let's use the example a dragon out there. I'm going to kill this metaphor. Oh, my God. A dragon out there. Could be people's lack of believing in themselves. Hugo. Oh, my gosh. It's been a long time since I've seen your face pop up. I think the biggest battle is the internal one with our internal saboteurs changing the story. Oh, you're such an inspiration. You are too. Hugo. I needed to call you. I haven't talked to you in forever. Yes, but this is the beautiful thing about being an entrepreneur, is that when you step into your hero pants, I'm just going to call them hero pants because I like that term. I just made it up. When you step into your hero pants and you go out and you start doing stuff you're not doing, it in a vacuum, you are helping the people that you're, you're working with, that you're impacting, that you're offering a service to, but you are also being a leader and a role model for everyone around you who's watching when you decide that you are no longer going to stick with the status quo quo and you are actually going to take on the life that you really, really want to live, because you only have this one life. You only have this one life. You have to go after it. Sarah. Yes. Hero pants. Yes. I'm gonna have to get coffee mugs with hero pants on it. When you do that, you're showing everyone else that they also can give themselves permission to go out and to become the hero that they were always meant to be, to go and have an impact in the world, to go and slay their inner demons, slay their inner dragons, these saboteurs and saboteur. Just for those of you who aren't coactive trained coaches, a saboteur is the voice of doubt in your head that is telling you, no, you can't do that. No. And that's a bad idea. And no, you did that once and it failed really bad. And you don't want to do that again. And also if you do this and it doesn't turn out well, guess what? You're going to die in the wilderness, starving and alone and very, very cold and probably with no hero pants on. So when, but when you step into your hero pants and you go on and you, and you take this on and you push yourself and you grow yourself and you go beyond the bounds of what feels safe and comfortable, you not only change the lives of the people that you work with and the people that you impact through your work, you change the lives of the people who are watching you. And it can feel uncomfortable. One of the things that happens when people lose a lot of weight is they tend to lose friends. Because for whatever reason, the fact this person did something that was so uncomfortable and scary and hard shines a light for their friends, for their group saying, oh, my gosh, well, if they could do something hard, I could do something hard. But I don't really want to do something hard. So it can have that impact, but it can also have an impact of, oh, my God, if you can do it, I can do it. Let's see. Kevin Stewart. I only wear hero pants. Damn straight. You only wear hero pants. Hi, Jordan. Welcome. Good to see you. Welcome. So, you know, being a hero doesn't feel good all the time, but it's not the point. We're not stepping into our hero pants and our awesomeness, and we're not taking control of our lives to live exactly the way we want so that we can feel comfortable. Because that's not the point, if this year has taught us anything, is that we can all rise to the occasion. We can all level up in a way that has real impact. And even if it's just sharing online, even if it's just sharing your experience and sharing the struggles that you've been through, you know, when the hero comes back home, no one asks the hero, like, oh, well, tell me about, like, what you ate while you were on the road. You know, tell me about that. Or what did you wear? You know, they don't get asked all these boring questions. You know, what was the best restaurant you went to while you were slang? You know, in that town, you know, where the dragon was eating all the young maidens? No, no. People ask about, like. Like, where. Like, where's the biggest scar? Can you show me your biggest scar? And also, like, how'd you get it? Did it hurt? Can you tell me how much it hurt? Also, like, you know, sewing it back together. Like, did that. Did that hurt? Tell me about it. They want to know the nitty gritty. There's nothing shameful about being on your hero's journey and having things go wrong. It's actually designed to go wrong. There's always going to be a way in which your hero's journey falls apart and is uncomfortable and hurts and causes destruction. But that's the part people want to know about. People want to hear about, like, oh, yeah, like, what was. What was the worst part about, you know, fighting the dragon? When did you think that you were going to be beat? You know, talk. You know, let's talk about Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs, you know, like, he got fired from his own company. And people want to hear about that. They want to hear about, like, what was it, two years or something that he was locked in. In his own home because he was so depressed. And what came out of that? What came out of that was this miraculous leader, Jordan. The easiest way to lose friends is to do something positive for you. The best way to make new friends is to do something positive for you. Yes, yes. And also, you know, if you're losing friends because you're doing something positive for yourself, they weren't your friends to begin with. What's. What's the term? Like, rainy day or. I don't know. I don't know. Like, rainy day. Friends. There are friends that can be with you in your misery. They can be with you when you're unhappy because it makes them feel like, okay, well, at least I have my life in control. But if they can't also be with you when things are going really well, they're not your friends, Hugo. And the wisdom gained and. And shared. That's inspiration. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So the wisdom gained throughout the struggle. The hero would never have learned all the things that he or she learned in this journey if they just stayed home. You know, from how to start a campfire to how to sell your very first cl. I mean, it's just they never would have learned that if they didn't push themselves out of their home and go and take on this huge challenge. Thank you, Hugo. Yeah. The wisdom gained. We're not looking towards. I want to set up this distinction, too. We don't look towards the people who've been in the same job for 40 years and have never changed anything and have never done something scary. We don't go to them for real wisdom as to how to change our lives, because they haven't been there. We go to the people who have taken charge, who have gone for it, you know, full throttle and fallen on their face and gotten back up. And fallen on their face again, gotten back up. Those are the people that we go after. That's. Those are the people that we want to seek out for counsel and wisdom. Just thinking of a book, and I can't remember the name of it well, and talking about books, I talked about this last night in my life. You know, the very first chapter of the introduction of a book. You're not reading about how this person's life was so perfect and then continued to be so perfect and then got even more perfect. Because that doesn't gain you any credibility. What gains credibility is them saying, well, here's how I screwed up my life, and then here's how it got worse, and then here's how it got worse from there. And then I got a little better, but then it got really bad. And then I was able to piece it together a little bit, and then I was able to piece it together a little bit, and then I hit this roadblock. But then this other thing happened, and that really tied everything together. And here's what I learned in the process, and here's why you should be invested in this book that I'm writing right now, that you are about to invest time and energy flipping through 200 pages of, like, that's what gets people to Continue reading. Jordan Wilson. It's far easier to keep others down than it is to lift ourselves up. You know what? I don't know if it's easier. I actually don't know if it's easier. But it is the default. I will acknowledge that. That it is the default up until now. We can change that because we're all heroes here. We can all take charge of our own lives and change the paradigm of the universe. I know really lofty goals that I have here, but I believe we could do it. And. Hi, Steve Foley. Welcome. Anyway, you know, and I just. We were living in a time of heroes in the real sense. I mean, literally. Literally. I have this shot in my arm that I got today. It was manufactured over the last, what year on a virus that just appeared in our world a year and a half ago. The scientists are the heroes there, the medical workers, the frontline workers. They're all the heroes here. And for everyone who's been sitting at home trying to do their work and do homeschooling, and their whole paradigm has changed, and they've risen to the occasion and they found new allies and they found new guides and they figured out new ways of doing it is part of the hero's journey. It's not comfortable, but it's what you've had to do. And I have this sense that this year is setting into motion changes that needed to happen. Things that needed to burn down have burnt down. And so wherever you are in your journey, just know that you are right on track, you are right on time. Whatever needed to burn down has burnt down. Maybe it's still smoldering. Maybe there's still, like, some stuff that needs to, like, you know, be blown away. And through it all, you've gained tools and skills and allies and maybe some enemies. But, you know, whatever. What matters now is that you go on and you take on that big dragon, you take on that big challenge. You go after the thing that scares the crap out of you because you know it's going to change the course of your life for the better. Anyway, there's. So I'm talking archetypes in this workshop that I'm in this week, and I just want to finish with this definition. So the hero archetype, their goal is to help improve the world. And if you're listening to this, I guarantee the people that I'm seeing in the chat, I know you're here to improve the world. World. I know you are, because I know you. I've seen your stuff on social media or I'VE met you in person or I've spoken to you. You're here to improve the world. Okay. So great. You fit the goal definition of hero. Their traits, they are courageous, bold, honorable, strong, confident, and inspirational. Just by stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing the thing that matters to you, that makes you inspirational. And then some examples of this are Bill Gates, no for room free. This is actually just from a workbook that I got for this workshop that I'm in. But anyway, welcome heroes, and thank you for joining me this evening. We can support each other in a lot of different ways and I hope these lives that I do offer some support to you wherever you are in your journey. Sorry, I'm tired. It's been a long day. Stumbling over my words. Anyway, that's all I have for tonight. Thank you so much for tuning in. Jordan and Hugo and Steve and Sarah and John and Kevin and anyone else who was commenting and the comments just didn't come through. I'm not ignoring you. It just might be the technology. Anyway, I'm Katie McManus, business strategist and leadership coach. Thank you for joining me this evening and I will talk to you tomorrow. All right. Happy Thursday.