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