Even if you don’t know what the hero’s journey is, you’ve experienced it in the books you’ve read and/or the films and shows you’ve watched. It’s a common part of the three act structure of storytelling. The protagonist leaves their comfortable, known life behind them either through force or choice, faces trials and tribulations, and experiences self-discovery and a life-changing transformation (and usually saves their world or home form the bad guy). Nothing quite as dramatic here in my case.
My own hero’s journey – which I’m calling the hero’s quest, culminates in the Grand Adventure, or my lifelong goal. An RV life. I can’t just snap my fingers and it’s there. It’s going to take dreaming, planning, and hard work. I have to take into account my physical health, have a plan for residency, a timeline, know what kind of RV I want, and some minimum financial requirements. And of course, there will be things that come up that will require me to focus on smaller tasks and goals because that’s life. Here are the terms you’ll be seeing and what they mean:
- The Grand Adventure: This the biggest thing I’m working toward, the goal that is the furthest out.
- Adventures: Smaller goals, family trips, weekend vacations. These are just smaller things that are still very important to me, but may not directly relate or lead to that Grand Adventure.
- Checkpoints: These are the milestones that must be achieved to achieve an adventure, Grand or otherwise. Paying off debt, publishing a book, losing weight, etc.
- Side Quests: These are tasks and milestones that need to be done, whether related to the Grand Adventure or not. They can be mundane, like laundry, or part of the progress toward a checkpoint, like paying off a debt, which can push my credit score Checkpoint into achievable territory.
- Short Rests: These rests exist to prevent burnout. Working constantly toward a goal or even more than one can become stressful. Short rests include entertainment. Video games, books, creative pursuits that help keep me inspired, but also allow me to rest. Consider this self-care.
- Long Rests: Long rests come when there are unexpected, life-changing events that are out of my control. A prolonged illness, a death in the family, a crazy administration that is making everything unaffordable, etc. This is the time where I do some extra self-reflection as to whether my goals and plans have changed, I make any necessary adjustments, and I prepare to resume the quest whenever the long rest is over. Due to the stresses of a long rest, there may be extra short rests. Lots more gaming, lots of cross-stitching for stress relief, etc.
If you have any questions or ideas you’d like to add, comment below!
-M.