Are
you doing what you were meant to do?
Do
you have the feeling that some
invisible hand has guided you to
take on challenges that seemed just
"the right thing" for you?
Or
do you have the uneasy sensation
that the true path for you is still
waiting?
The
mysteries of why you chose medicine,
and why you are now called on to
venture beyond your current comfort
zone are explained through the
mythical stories of ages.
Is
it far-fetched to consider your
journey into physician leadership,
or entrepreneurship, or business as
a "hero's journey" on par
with Odysseus? Not at all.
According to the late Joseph Campbell, the
renowned scholar on mythology, these
ancient stories have tremendous
power to inform and guide our own
lives.
Over
the past two weeks I have been
re-listening to the audio tape
version of "The Power of Myth,
PBS's outstanding series of
interviews with Joseph Campbell
conducted by Bill Moyers. When
I viewed the the television series
when it first aired ten
years ago, it hit me like a ton of
bricks because I was just starting
my own (mystical) professional
transition and transformation.
I realized I was reliving the
experience of Campbell's
ubiquitous "hero"----journeying
into the unknown, scared, but
somehow fully trusting that the path
I was forging was being illuminated
for me, one brick at a time.
How
can the "Power of Myth"
help you in becoming the leader you
were meant to be? To get on
the business path you were meant to
follow? Or to find the
personal life that reflects your
true essence and values?
While
Campbell doesn't
"prescribe" lessons for
life, here are some specific insight
I want to share with you:
-
You
were meant to contribute to the
world in a unique way.
Campbell calls this
"following your bliss".
Ask yourself if you experience joy
every day? Joy is a sign of
following your bliss.
-
Fear
is normal when you are venturing
out of your (seemingly)
comfortable environment. If
fear and anxiety are mounting, the
call to seek your true path is
beckoning. Accept fear, and
trust that your true path will be
built by "invisible
hands" one step at a time.
-
Call
on the mystical traditions of your
religious or spiritual foundation
to assist you in taking the
personal challenge that has been
crafted just for you. Look
for the poetry in sacred writings
and teaching, and open
yourself to the "clues"
contained there just for you.
If
your ultimate goal is professional
achievement, personal contribution
and a truly meaningful life, I
encourage you delve into teachings
and resources like the Power of
Myth. The fully lived and
experienced life is more than the
utilization of specific skills.
It is the evolution of your self
through one or more personal
journeys where you are called on to
be the "hero" in your own
story.
Here
is the Amazon.com link for the Book
or Audio Series of Bill Moyer's
Interviews with Joseph Campbell
"The
Power of Myth"
