Learn the secret reason we find hero stories so exciting and inspirational. Humorously illustrated with over 40 cartoons, this book takes readers through the stages of Joseph Campbell's pattern of the Hero's Journey using examples from books, films, and even video games.

Do you feel like something big is missing from your life? Do you feel trapped, bored, stuck in a meaningless routine? It may be you think you're too ordinary to ever do something special. Perhaps you're afraid that if you try, you'll fail. The startling truth is this: Just about anyone can do great things, can live a life that's remarkable, purposeful, excellent, and yes, even heroic. If you want to be a hero, you can be. How? That's what this book is all about. Will you choose to do it? Will you decide to journey heroically, instead of spending your life merely marking time? If so, this is the book for you. Welcome to your heroic journey.

What do STAR WARS, HARRY POTTER, and RED RIDING HOOD have all in common? Not one, not ten, but 195 things. Every great novel and movie follows a common narrative pattern known as the Hero's Journey. In this book, for the first time at such level of detail, independent writers can have a look into the Hollywood's manual on how to create a classic. Make no mistake about it: This is not just another popular take on the subject. This is it. All the 195 plot milestones found in the greatest stories of all times are outlined here-clearly, exactly, concisely. If you are writing a novel or a script, don't run with disadvantage: Step into this mythical landscape and follow your favorite heroes along The Ultimate Hero's Journey, as you discover the master structure of timeless storytelling.

A Different Bible study experience! This guided journey through Scripture is for anyone who: Knows what it’s like to just not fit in; longs to feel known, safe, and understood; and wonders where they truly belong. Join beloved author Sally Clarkson and her son Joel in this 12-session exploration of misfits in the Bible—and the surprising ways they became heroes of the faith. God has always taken ordinary people—like Peter, Ruth, Job, and Elijah—and used them to accomplish great things. You’ll learn how God can take your own weaknesses and turn them into strengths as he draws you outside the safety of yourself and into the glorious whirlwind of His plan for your life. (A companion resource to Different: The Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him, by Sally and Nathan Clarkson.)

Stephen Gilligan and Robert Dilts truly take you on a voyage of self-discovery. The Hero's Journey examines the questions: How can you live a meaningful life? What is the deepest life you are called to, and how can you respond to that call? It is about how to discover your calling and how to embark on the path of learning and transformation that will reconnect you with your spirit,change negative beliefs and habits, heal emotional wounds and physical symptoms, deepen intimacy, and improve self-image and self-love. Along this path we inevitably meet challenges and confronting these challenges forces us to develop and think in new ways and push us outside our comfort zone. The book takes the form of a transcript of a four day workshop conducted by Stephen and Robert. It is a powerful way of learning as you are so absorbed by the experiences of the participants that you feel you are actually there. A wonderful voyage of discovery for everyone who thinks that, "there must be more to life than this".

Joseph Campbell famously defined myth as ''other people's religion.'' But he also said that one of the basic functions of myth is to help each individual through the journey of life, providing a sort of travel guide or map to reach fulfillment - or, as he called it, bliss. For Campbell, many of the world's most powerful myths support the individual's heroic path toward bliss. In Pathways to Bliss, Campbell examines this personal, psychological side of myth. Like his classic bestselling books Myths to Live By and The Power of Myth, Pathways to Bliss draws from Campbell's popular lectures and dialogues, which highlight his remarkable storytelling and ability to apply the larger themes of world mythology to personal growth and the quest for transformation. Here he anchors mythology's symbolic wisdom to the individual, applying the most poetic mythical metaphors to the challenges of our daily lives. Campbell dwells on life's important questions. Combining cross-cultural stories with the teachings of modern psychology, he examines the ways in which our myths shape and enrich our lives. He explores the many insights of Carl Jung; the notion of self as the hero; and how East and West differ in their approaches to the ego. The book also includes an extensive question-and-answer session that ranges from mythological readings of the Bible to how the Hero's Journey unfolds for women. With his usual wit and insight, Campbell draws connections between ancient symbols and modern art, schizophrenia and the Hero's Journey. Along the way, he shows how myth can help each of us truly identify and follow our bliss.

A guidebook for discovering how heartbreak can become the doorway to profound meaning and joy from the bestselling co-creator of the Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Series In 2006, after building the bestselling franchise Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff with her husband Richard, Kristine Carlson faced a shattering loss—the sudden death of her beloved spouse. Woven together with the remarkable stories of others’ loss and recovery, her deeply moving story reveals a clear process of healing that is common to everyone and goes far beyond ordinary prescriptions for getting through hard times. In her new book, From Heartbreak to Wholeness, Kristine offers a life-altering map for navigating the heroic journey from loss to joy—one that ultimately awakens readers to a deep love affair with life. Every day, people suffer heartbreaks of some kind—loss of a loved one, divorce, illness, loss of a job or home—and seek to understand why these losses and traumas have befallen them and how they’ll make it through in one piece. For readers who have endured loss of any kind, Kristine takes them by the hand, showing them how to traverse their own jagged edge of growth and emerge as the hero whole, happy, and empowered. Each chapter of From Heartbreak to Wholeness includes powerful exercises in self-inquiry and reflection, along with step-by-step guidance for writing one’s own heroic story of healing. Journey with Kristine Carlson and learn how you can walk the path from heartbreak to wholeness.