In Your Story

if your childhood was anything like mine

you spent countless hours immersed in

animated shows

and movies you were exploring with dora

and boots

fought evil with the powerpuff girls or

solved mysteries with blue’s clues

as we got older some of us grew out of

our cartoon phase

while others like me never did

i love cartoons i’m an avid watcher of

animated shows and movies

because there’s always something so

inherently comforting amidst the

colorful frames and unique characters

but as i transitioned from a child to a

young adult

cartoons began meaning more to me than

just an outlet for entertainment

these characters became my mentors and i

slowly began to apply the lessons i

learned

to my own life i want you to stop and

think

about a few fictional characters that

you really look up to or admire

what makes you admire them so much is it

their perseverance

their attitude their stellar sense of

humor

now what if i told you that you’re not

that different

from your favorite fictional friends

well they might be living in mystical

worlds and

possessing magical superpowers that’s

not quite what i’m talking about

what i mean is each of these characters

has

a story throughout the course of the

show

book or movie they grow and develop

making and learning from mistakes along

the way they face challenges

celebrate multiple victories and

experience losses

makes these characters so admirable to

you

is the way that they narrated their own

story

changed and grew along the way just like

you

i believe that you are the main

character of your own story

why because you’re taking risks

overcoming obstacles and you believe

enough in this story

to keep going now one of my favorite

characters is ralph from the disney

movie wreck-it ralph

if you don’t know the story too well

ralph is not perfect

he’s clumsy hulky and has a serious

temper problem

in fact others see valve as a villain

even if he isn’t trying to be

so in order to fix his own reputation

rob creates a goal to win a gold medal

now ralph always lived his life in the

shadow of his seemingly perfect

co-worker

fixit felix now felix’s job

painted him as the good guy while

ralph’s which was essentially to destroy

things

painted him as the villain this made it

so that ralph himself believed

that he didn’t matter that the story

wasn’t about him

but once ralph realized that he needed

to be the one to change

the narrative to take control of his own

reputation

he transformed into the main character

and this sparked ralph’s journey his

hero’s journey

the hero’s journey is a literary concept

that’s often studied in english class

but don’t worry i’m not here to lecture

you i just want to quickly go over the

basics of it

every story has a plot cycle of events

the exposition rising action

climax falling action and resolution

these cycles happen when we encounter a

drawback or

hurdle and we need to find a way to work

through it

there will be hundreds of cycles in your

lifetime

whether it’s a little problem or

something truly devastating

sometimes these cycles will even overlap

so the hero’s journey is essentially a

set of cycles in which the hero

which can be any developing character

like you

transitions from their familiar ordinary

world

into the unknown this usually happens

when we decide to take risks

throughout this process they grow and

change

they make friends mentors and might face

challenges

they then return back to the ordinary

world as a more experienced

and changed individual

so even though ralph who was defined by

his flaws

he was still the hero of the story

because he grew

and changed and now you might realize

that you and ralph actually have a lot

in common

so now that you’re in charge of your own

story you need to believe

that you are the main character

otherwise

you might not be the best narrator

we all have moments of self-doubt and

bad days

when we feel like we’ve lost control but

we can’t let that alter the ending

remember that every difficult moment you

face

in your lifetime is just another climax

in your hero’s journey

but this is your story you’re in control

and you’re going to be okay also

remember

that you don’t have to navigate your

story alone

let’s not forget about the people who

mold and shape us as well

the supporting characters every story

has supporting characters who are

always there by the protagonist’s side

just like dory from finding nemo or olaf

from frozen

your friends and family will always be

there to help you out

but remember that even though they may

be the supporting characters

of your life they’re also the main

characters of theirs

and just like you they will face lows in

their own hero’s journey

and this is when we need to switch gears

for a while

and be that support so

we must be the main character and the

supporting character at the same time

that sounds like a lot but the key to

helping yourself

and other people is vulnerability

in society being vulnerable is often

seen as a bad thing

it’s labeled as a sign of weakness but i

think that the opposite is true

there’s such a profound strength in

being vulnerable

it means letting others see your

authentic self it means being human

it means letting other people know that

our flaws

don’t define who we are and being

vulnerable

can help other people around you feel

comfortable enough to open up as well

remember that your story is a tale of

love

support and trust of a hero who slowly

learns

not to let their imperfections define

them and to narrate their story with

confidence so be vulnerable

let yourself experience the world as the

main character

learn from your mistakes and just like

ralph embrace your flaws

and when others need your support don’t

be afraid to open up an

offer offer a helping hand we need to

work together to be vulnerable

so keep moving through your story your

hero’s journey

keep learning and growing as you face

the ups and downs

of your own plot cycle of events you

decide how your story continues

remember you’re both the main character

and support when you need to be and

that’s

what makes you a hero thank you