Crossing The Threshold
You’ve committed to leaving behind the Ordinary World and stepping into the New World of your Hero’s Journey. And as you do, you’re exposed to new sounds and sights, new learnings, surprises, adventures and experiences you’ve never had before.
As you do so, you might feel out of place. You might feel uncomfortable, inexperienced. You are the proverbial babe in the woods. You ask yourself, ‘What was I thinking to leave my ordinary world behind?’. We’ve all been in situations like this.
But you’re stretching beyond your old self.
Sometimes, when crossing the first threshold, you meet with boundaries. It might be the environment, a roadblock or obstacle in the way, the road might be too far away, a storm or a drought might test your resolve, or it might be people, who come up and challenge you.
Meeting the Threshold Guardians
These are the Threshold Guardians, who will test if you’re serious about setting out on your journey. The Guardians are there to test your commitment, they might throw all kinds of obstacles, threats or difficulties in your way to make you back off and go home.
The Threshold Guardians will not waste their time, they’ve seen too many people who start out with grand ideas but give up at the very first obstacle. But once you’ve shown these guardians you’re not only inspired, but committed; by locking down and doing the hard work, ignoring naysayers who want to discourage you from leaving the flock, by leaving behind cumbersome luggage that was only weighing you down, by passing the guardians’ tests, you are allowed passage into the brave New World.
Who or what are the Threshold Guardians you’ll have to face in crossing the first threshold into the new world of your Hero’s Journey? Are they people you have to meet, places you have to go, things you have to do that are outside of your comfort zone? Or are they fears and doubts you have to overcome inside of yourself?
Into The New World
Once you’re in the New World in pursuit of your treasure, you have to learn new rules, you have to go to new places, see, hear and feel new things. How do things work differently in this new world? What new gadgets, weapons, magical instruments do you need to learn to use? How do you need to interact with your new enviroment to get what you want?
How do the people act differently, how do they think? What’s the new language they speak here? How do they carry themselves, discuss, argue, carry out deals?
Where is your New World, and what threshold do you have to cross in order to get there? What do you have to learn in order to not just survive, but thrive in this new place in search of your treasure?
March 7th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Alvin, I truly enjoyed all your posts on The Hero’s Journey, maybe more so because I’m able to identify myself in all the stages of this voyage.
What I’d like to share here is thus – as we migrate from one stage to another, it’s very important to remember all the experiences, happenings and learnings along the way. Collect and store them in your personal vault, for if you were to start on your next Hero’s Journey, chances are you won’t feel the same anymore, even if you may be handling similar challenges.
Now, you won’t do things in the same way as you did before, make the same mistakes you committed, and you won’t be feeling the kind of anxiety and sometimes exasperation as you grabble around the thorns looking for that blooming rose. Neither will you enjoy the same kind of satisfaction because it would have also changed as our own expectations elevated us to operate on a higher level than before.
To me, that’s one of the motivation that draws me to take on my Hero’s Journey despite all the fears and apprehension that comes along with the uncertainty. For I know, angels will be there in the process and I will certainly emerge stronger and better after all.
March 7th, 2006 at 7:17 pm
hey yo,
good writings, two words, just do it… three words… haha. Sometimes, once you decide on a certain way to go, it’s better to just head straight on and react when trouble crops up. Don’t believe in thinking too much, reacting base on your instinct often is more than enough to guide you through.
Challenges are refreshing, it’s a way to test and push your limits to another realm, it’s a way to learn through failings and success. instead of worrying about failing and not take a step forward, i prefer to go on a journey with a light sprint.
We are beings with strong adaptation instincts.
March 8th, 2006 at 1:17 am
Hey Alvin…
You will be receiving my call to come out of the ordinary world very soon…
March 8th, 2006 at 10:22 am
Hi Alvin,
I need your consultant and advise on this point that’s been pondering in my mind. Well, I jst learnt that answering to my calling on my Hero’s journey needs alot of persistance and focus, as well as balancing my goals/values against or rather with, others perspective. This journey requires Sacrifices.
My battle or rather challenge now is to not lose my true self(character) and at the same time change and shift into/with the environment and people around me.
Tas…
March 8th, 2006 at 10:25 am
Yo Hanthon,
Thanks for the hits man
never thought I’d see you here haha. I like your style, good words of advice there. I’ve always thought that while I talked the talked, you were someone who walked the walk 
Stuart is making me curious…
March 8th, 2006 at 10:52 am
Well Tas, strangely enough Hanthon’s comment sounds like it might apply to you
Wanting not to lose something and still change it is not possible. To change with change is the only true changeless state. To stay balanced when you’re not moving is easy, but balance in motion is true balance, and just like walking, it’s a constant state of shifting balances, being off-balance sometimes to regain balance and movement again. You’re doing that already.
I don’t know a lot about your present situation, but I wonder about the positive intentions of each. How much of those complement in your outer enviroment?
And within yourself, what are the highest positive intentions of you wanting to shift and adapt while staying true to yourself? And is change always not being true to yourself, or is it only unfamiliar?
What do you think?
March 8th, 2006 at 10:53 am
Hey Kloudiia, I notice you’ve been leaving comments lately. Thanks for visiting our site and the encouragement these comments give. I’ll keep the goodies rolling
March 8th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
Yes I agree that wanting not to lose something and still change is not possible. Well my situation here puts me in a dilemma… I’m being torn btw 1) making a choice to change and fit into the crowd or environment’s expectation, perception and so on…. 2) And my belief and thinking of “I do not live up to anyone’s expectation, I change only becos I wanna/see a need to change.”
So I can’t put myself to really balance and find out a resolution or resource btw these two… =P Well perhaps I really feel strongly not to compromises with pple’s expectations…=P)
Ahhhh…… must do parts integration liao…. =P
I like this line that you wrote: “And is change always not being true to yourself, or is it only unfamiliar?” well…yup probably is unfamiliar… bah…
Another good one is “To change with change is the only true changeless state.” Hm… change with change = true changeless. Well I think it somehow relates to FLEXIBILITY (One with more flexibility get in control or better of situation.)
I don’t catch this line “You’re doing that already”. What’s “that” that I’m doing???
I do not have an attitude, I have a personality that you can’t take.
March 8th, 2006 at 11:23 pm
‘That’ you’re already doing is the constant shifting act of balancing in motion, because everyone who’s alive is doing that.
Yup, maybe it is about flexibility after all?
I don’t catch this line “I do not have an attitude, I have a personality that you can’t take.” So you don’t have an attitude I can’t take?
March 9th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
oophs that’s a line that I accidentally paste in. =P
Well ‘attitude’ in this sentence here is a genralisation or in LP is normalisation for person’s personality. So do I have a personality that you can’t take? ;P
March 10th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
tas whatever comment you make to people about the stance you intend to take. It’s good to return to the basics and remember the importance of building rapport while you are saying it…unless of course the purpose of your saying it is to break rapport with the person you are speaking to
The paradox of the permanance of change is exactly that. “true changeless-ness” is an oxymoron.
Even the nature of change itself, is that of ambivalence: on the one hand you crave for the good that will will come; on the other you hold on to the familarity of the comfort zone.
March 10th, 2006 at 6:11 pm
Dear Pete,
Well understanding you are the master of provocative approach.
hm… I’m doing my best to read your intention and match your highest positive intention in the msg above. Er… probably I’m naive or slow… Can you eleborate???
I dont get “The paradox of the permanance of change is exactly that. “true changeless-ness” is an oxymoron. ”
I dont get your intention of the msg above. to confuse me or complicate what I’ve mention?? =P
tas
March 12th, 2006 at 6:18 pm
Actually tas, as a Life Coach, the provocative approach is just one of my many tools.
Have you been appropriately provoked to think about the comments that you make and the stance you take when you do so?
My highest positive intention is to learn and have others learn with me.
‘Permanance’ and ‘change’ is on it’s own conflicting yet whhen you put them together it makes sense and takes a new meaning: it’s oxymoronic.