“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” - Carl Jung
Introduction
When it comes to pursuing your goals and dreams, it’s always going to be a journey. Whether or not we have superpowers, we’re the protagonists of our own life stories. In my story, I’m pursuing my aspirations — to become the best version of myself, to unlock my best future, to create a positive impact on society, and to share my art with the world. This is my journey so far, organized by Joseph Campbell’s 12 stages of The Hero’s Journey.
Table of Contents
1. The call to adventure.
2. The refusal of the call.
3. Meeting the mentor.
4. Crossing the threshold.
5. Tests, allies, and enemies.
6. The approach to the inmost cave.
7. The ordeal.
8. The reward.
9. The road back.
10. The resurrection.
11. The return.
12. The freedom to live.
1. The call to adventure.
I was clicking away at my computer desk, editing product photos for my boss. I’d organize files, carry boxes, clean up after others, run errands, and do whatever else my boss needed me to do at the office. This week was the same as last week. Wake up early, commute to work, work a full day, take a walk during lunch to save money, commute back to a small apartment I shared with 2 roommates, have some canned food and instant ramen, get some sleep, and head to work again the next day.
After 6 years of working for this company and earning a bachelor’s degree, I was making just over minimum wage. I never thought about changing jobs because I was told all my life that money wasn’t important. I took that advice to heart and didn’t focus on finances for the longest time.
But after getting into a car accident without being able to afford health insurance, I had a big reality check. I was leaving work one day when another driver ran a red light and t-boned my car, wrecking my vehicle in the process. If they swerved just a few feet to the right, I may have ended up in a wheelchair without being able to pay my medical bills. It was then I realized that I was lucky to make it out with only whiplash and muscle soreness.
And then it really hit me. I was in a pretty bad place in life and the only way out was to take matters into my own hands — I needed to take initiative and grab life by the horns. Gone were the days of adopting unsolicited advice that was harmful to me. If I wanted to save my future, I needed to truly start looking after myself. I needed to become my own hero.
So, the next thing I did was search online about how to make money as an artist. (As someone who drew art for over a decade, I wanted to learn how to make a living off my art — and not just survive, but thrive.) And after listening to interview after interview, I began to see a pattern around those who were succeeding the most. The common theme? Business acumen.
Whether they were a freelancer, contractor, or business owner, it was the people with more business skills that had more financial stability. It was those who learned how to monetize their creativity that thrived. I realized that if I wanted to make good money as an artist, I would need to start learning business.
2. The refusal of the call.
Although it was the move I needed to make, I had plenty of thoughts and feelings as to why I shouldn’t learn business. At the time, business sounded really complicated, boring, and honestly intimidating. It would be a completely new field that I didn’t know anything about. All I’ve heard were horror stories about people failing in business and how business is notoriously difficult.
But, my hesitation didn’t last very long. Because I knew this is what I needed to do. So I decided to bite the bullet, face my fears, and take on the challenge of learning business.
3. Meeting the mentor.
Within business, there are a multitude of skills that are all important to learn. I had no idea where to start and I didn’t have a business mentor at the time. But, what I did have was internet access. So, I watched YouTube videos and read business books online to learn from successful entrepreneurs. One of which was Mark Cuban. And Mark, like many other entrepreneurs I read about, said that sales is one of the most important skills for a business owner to learn.
"Everything goes back to sales, no matter what." - Mark Cuban
After reading numerous stories of entrepreneurs who started in sales, it seemed like a good place to begin. So, I made my decision. I set out to look for my first sales job to learn how to sell.
4. Crossing the threshold.
As an introvert with zero sales experience, it was difficult landing my first sales job. Most hiring managers turned me down because of my lack of experience. Others turned me down because they didn’t think I would fit their team culture. But, I kept on reading sales books, taking sales courses, and applying for more jobs.
Eventually, I met a Marine Corps veteran in Colorado who happened to be a sales manager. He invited me for an interview and although I didn’t have experience, he sensed my determination and decided to give me a shot. It was then that I landed my first sales job as a commission-only door-to-door sales representative.
5. Tests, allies, and enemies.
From that point, I spent the next 2.5 years in sales, selling alarm systems door-to-door, home and auto insurance, marketing consultancy packages, and marketing agency services.
Going through that really tested my mental fortitude, knocking on doors in the Colorado winter from 1pm to 9pm, cold-calling hundreds of people a day, working 12-hour days under high pressure, seeing my peers getting fired left and right every month for not hitting KPIs.
I got acquainted with high-pressure, high-performance, long hours, and office politics. It wasn’t a walk in the park. But, I learned a lot and became stronger because of it.
Then, after a long stretch of unresolved conflicts, my wife at the time filed for a divorce. Without a place to go, I packed my things and lived in motels for a week. Shortly after, my sister gave me a call and insisted that I stay with her and my brother-in-law. So, appreciative of their support, I moved up to Oregon to get back on my feet.
After a week to process what just happened, I began my job search and landed a role as a customer support associate in 3 weeks. This job was much more laid back than the high-pressure sales environment I was used to and was a good change of pace to help with my mental, emotional, and financial recovery.
6. The approach to the inmost cave.
Things were going well with the new job. I received a raise and was asked to train new hires. And although that was going on, I never forgot the mission I originally set out to do, which was to learn business. So, I continued to read books and take courses. This time, focusing on the skill of marketing (copywriting in particular).
After a year passed, I was still with the same company, and up for a promotion. At the same time, I was building my freelance copywriting business on the side, doing small projects here and there to gain experience. Baby steps, but steps nonetheless.
Fortunately, through networking, I received the opportunity to do some free work for a really big client — an internationally known entrepreneur who speaks on stage with successful investors (i.e. from the show Shark Tank) and rubs shoulders with other big names.
He liked my work, but more than that, he liked me as a person and saw a lot of potential in me. So, he offered me a full-time position on his marketing team. He was building a new startup with his business partner and was looking for A-players.
I remembered Patrick Bet-David saying in a video that working closely with an entrepreneur, especially in the startup phase, can be an incredible learning opportunity because you can see all the behind-the-scenes activities that go into building a business.
This was a golden opportunity to cut my learning curve in half. But, it would require me to leave behind a stable 9-5 job. Would I venture into the unknown in pursuit of my goals and dreams? Or would I put my aspirations on the back burner in favor of certainty? This was a high-risk / high-reward situation. But the risk depended on my ability to perform. If I could perform well, there was nothing to worry about. If I underperformed, there was everything to worry about.
I decided to bet on myself. I believed in my ability to deliver. I accepted the challenge.
7. The ordeal.
Not wanting to mess up this opportunity, I pushed myself to my absolute limits and applied all my focus and energy to doing great work. I didn't work like I was an employee — I worked as if the company was my very own. 12-hour days were now considered light to me, 80-hour weeks were the new norm, and there was always work to do on the weekends. 100-hour weeks? I worked those hours too when necessary. It was the hardest I’ve ever worked in my whole life. But, it was here that I learned what it truly meant to embody a whatever-it-takes mindset.
8. The reward.
Although this part of my journey was grueling, it was all worth it. My hard work ethic and fast skill acquisition earned me 4 pay raises in under 16 months, which allowed me to travel to Southeast Asia for the first time as a fully-fledged digital nomad. My business acumen skyrocketed as I played an important role, not just as a copywriter, but a marketing manager, project manager, and right hand of the CMO. My mental fortitude went through a serious trial-by-fire and my military veteran COO said that I had developed a 10/10 mindset. On top of all this, I also got into a new relationship with a significant other who genuinely supports me and my aspirations.
9. The road back.
Life has its seasons of ups and downs. And as life would have it, the co-founders of the startup had a falling out. They split up, sold the company, and went their separate ways. Everyone had to hit restart and it became an unstable time for all of us.
Although I felt like I gained 4 years of experience in 1 year, I could only truthfully put 1.5 years on my resume. And although I worked on a ton of projects, most of my work was protected by an NDA and couldn’t be shared. Finally, while I was working 80-hour weeks, I wasn’t spending enough time growing my brand on social media.
(This made me learn the hard way about the importance of maintaining an online presence, having a strong savings account, and establishing multiple income streams as a freelancer.)
Eventually, I landed an opportunity to work as an intrapreneur for a digital marketing agency, which is what I do currently, while building my personal brand and freelance content writing service.
10. The resurrection.
[ This part of my journey isn't finished. I’ll update this section once I’ve lived it! ]
11. The return.
[ This part of my journey isn't finished. I’ll update this section once I’ve lived it! ]
12. The freedom to live.
[ This part of my journey isn't finished. I’ll update this section once I’ve lived it! ]
Conclusion
My Hero’s Journey isn’t finished but I’m not giving up until I make it to the end. Nobody actually fails unless they decide to quit. And I believe I will actualize my goals and dreams as long as I stay the course.
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