Rediscovering an Ancient Compass for a Life of Purpose and Adventure Today
“Not only did this hero's journey resonate with a desire we all have, it felt like it told the story of the life I was actually living. And I think I realized that it wasn't a one-time adventure–that it had the potential to be a pattern or a framework that I could lean into and try to follow over and over again in order to find more meaning, more purpose, and more transformation in my life. In many ways it was what I was missing back in Virginia. I realized it was offering me a pathway, almost like guideposts on the journey that could deliver the things I wanted more of in life, which were meaning and purpose and significance.” -Jon Ritner
Boredem, confusion, aimlessness, lack of purpose, lack of fulfillment, and a host of other emotional and psychological woes. These are some of the problems that, though they're not entirely new to humanity, seem especially rampant in the affluent Western world today. You might even be able to relate to one or two of them yourself.
When the modern age doesn't offer many useful remedies to these ills, where else can we look? It's time to return to the "old roads," to quote a line from an Andrew Peterson song.
It's time to return to wisdom that has been generated over generations and stood the test of time.
It's this wisdom that my long-time friend and colleague, Jon Ritner, and I unpack together in this episode through the lenses of our own stories.
It's the wisdom contained in The Hero's Journey, a compass for living derived, surprisingly enough, from humankind's core mythologies.
In this episode, you'll get a crash course in the Hero's Journey and an introduction to how to begin using it in your own life right now to vanquish the dragons of boredom, confusion, aimlessness, lack of purpose, lack of fulfillment, and the laundry list of other besetting woes.
As you vanquish those dragons, you'll discover the treasure behind them that you were uniquely meant to find and share with the world. If you're willing, you're in for the adventure of your life.
This episode is also an appetizer for the main course that Jon and I will serve up this October at a special one-day event designed to fully equip you to use the Hero's Journey in your own life.
Introducing Jon Ritner
Jon Ritner and I met in college in the early 90s. We were acquaintances then but became close friends in the years immediately following college, when we were roommates, each of us trying to find ourselves and find our way. We ended up on the same church staff together, a chapter in our stories full of highs and lows and lessons hard-won. We've seen each other at our best, and we've seen each other at our worst. Eventually, our paths diverged, and that's the point at which we pick up Jon's story today.
Jon has served as a pastor for 20 years in various capacities in the US and overseas. Today, he's the Chief Strategy Officer for Communitas International, a global non-profit. He also coaches leaders who are starting and shaping communities to live like Jesus, and the author of Positively Irritating, a philosophical and practical guide for faith leaders navigating the changing cultural realities in the western world. Jon and Kristyn, his wife of 22 years, live in Burbank, CA with their teenage son and daughter.
Highlights from This Conversation
What The Hero’s Journey is and why it matters in our real-world lives today
How The Hero’s Journey framework helped Jon make more sense of his life so far, and how it can do the same for you
How The Hero’s Journey helps Jon live a life of more purpose, meaning, and adventure today, and how it can do the same for you
The distinguishing qualities of a Hero, and how to be one
Why and how adventure is an antidote to so many of today’s besetting woes, like boredom, aimlessness, confusion, and lack of purpose
And more. Tune into the full episode for the rest of the good stuff.
SAVE THE DATE: Special Andrew Petty Coaching Event, Saturday October 14, at the Steamboat Social Club (brunch and dinner provided)
I’m excited to announce a special Andrew Petty Coaching event–a one-day intensive that combines the inspiration of a great Ted Talk with the relational richness of a long lingering meal and tops it off with the insights and action steps you acquire from personal coaching.
The event is called The Best is Yet to Come: Rediscovering an Ancient Compass for Living a Life of Purpose and Adventure.
If today's episode has sparked something inside of you, then The Best is Yet to Come is just the thing to propel you forward on your next great adventure.
This episode introduced you to The Hero’s Journey, but The Best is Yet to Come will go deeper. We’ll identify the reasons we so often fluctuate between listlessness and boredom in one season of life and then overwhelming stress and anxiety in the next. We’ill give you language to describe the call on your life as well as license to accept that call with courage and support. We’ll help you move from victim to Hero in your own story and empower you to live a life you’ll be outrageously proud of when you die. Whether you are just setting out on your journey or are stuck in a rut, this is the right time to declare that the best is yet to come!
Keep your eyes peeled for registration details. Still figuring all that out...ha!
In the meantime, how can I help you become who you were made to be and live the life you were made to live? Find me on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, visit my website, or email me.
Thank you once again for your time and attention. Don't forget to follow this show and share it with your friends, and I'll see you next time on Andrew Petty is Dying!
Connect with Jon
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If You Liked This Episode, I Think You’ll Like These, Too
Ep. 005 | How to Become the Boss of Your Fear: Bravery-building to Live With More Guts and Gusto
Ep. 012 | How to Harness the Winds of Discomfort to Get Where You Want to Go: Becoming a Seasoned Sailor on the Seas of Life
Ep. 022 | Tune Out to Tune In: Hearing & Heeding Your Inner Voice in a World Full of Noise
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
The Hero With a Thousand Faces (Joseph Campbell)
The Writer’s Journey(Christopher Vogler)
New to Andrew Petty is Dying?
Welcome! I invite you to browse the archive of past interviews with fascinating people and short, topical solo episodes--all designed to equip you with the mindset and the means to become the person you were made to be and live the life you were made to live with guts, gusto, and abandon. We flip the script by inviting our ancient foe, Death, to become an unlikely ally in our heroic journey to leave it all out on the field of life. Turns out, Mortality might just be the best motivator available--blasting us out of our ambivalence and complacency and toward the fullness of our potential.