“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Harold Thurman Whitman. 

I believe it was Joseph Campbell who brought to light the Hero’s Journey and it’s stages.  He spoke of the monomyth in his brilliant book The Hero With a Thousand Faces – “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into the region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” 

This power to bestow boons is also called Bringing Back the Elixir and it’s the last stage in the hero’s journey. By transforming himself, the hero helps to transform the world as well.

The opening quote above (one of my favorites) by Harold Thurman Whitman makes it seem easy.  If you’ve studied or even lived parts of the Hero’s Journey, you know that it is not.  Nor is it meant to be.  What’s that quote?  Rough seas make for skillful sailors. 

By getting in touch with, finding and mining your own creativity, your own gifts, and sharing them with the rest of us, you’re shining your own unique, special, once in a lifetime light on the world, helping us all to feel a little better, a little more connected, a little more alive.

And if you’re still not sure, here’s another favorite:

“Why should we use our creative power?  Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate and indifferent to fighting…” – Brenda Ueland, author of If you Want to Write.

So come out of the shadows – the world needs you.

Daintry Jensen is the author of THE HIDDEN FOREST, a middle grade fantasy adventure novel set on Nantucket Island, recently published through Green Writers Press.  Available at your favorite book seller and online at Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.  www.daintryjensen.com