(Why your “Call to Adventure” oftens feels like a crisis)
We love the idea of a “Call to Adventure.”
We tend to imagine it as something dramatic and positive—a specific invitation to an adventure where we assume there is a happy ending.
But in reality? The Call usually looks like a crisis.
One of the most famous examples of the Hero’s Journey is Star Wars. Luke Skywalker didn’t leave home because he was bored and wanted a fun trip. The call he received was in the form of losing his parents. It was a tragedy where his home was changed forever.
If you are currently feeling a sense of deep discomfort, heartbreak, or confusion, you aren’t failing. You are likely receiving The Call.
🎧 Listen to Episode 1
To hear the full breakdown of how to recognize the call and why your body might be staging a rebellion, hit play below.
Want the highlights or the deep dive? The key takeaways are below, and if you keep scrolling you’ll find the full transcript.
The Many Disguises of “The Call”
In my work with leaders and creatives, I rarely see the Call show up as a clear vision of the future. We aren’t usually handed a map that says, “Here is the new version of your business.”
Instead, the Call often arrives as:
- The Internal Glitch: Unexplained health issues, chronic fatigue, or sleep issues that force you to stop.
- The Success Slump: Achieving stability or the “dream business,” only to feel apathy, boredom, or resentment instead of joy.
- The “Regression”: Feeling like you have gone backward in life, despite doing all the inner work.
Two years ago, my own call arrived as a physical shutdown. I woke up with chronic fatigue and digestive issues that made my body reject my favorite foods. It was a mess, but that extreme discomfort was what finally made me realize something needed to change.
The Call is Coming From Inside the House
We often look for the Call outside of ourselves—waiting for a new career potential or a sign from the universe. But the true Call is internal.
The call doesn’t come from outside you at all. It is calling you inward. The call is coming from inside the house—from your spirit and your body wanting to be heard.
As mythologist Michael Meade says, “The calling keeps calling.” You cannot miss it. You can continue to ignore it, but it won’t go away.
The “Tantrum” Effect
Imagine a hungry child. First, they ask politely for a snack. If you ignore them, they ask again. Eventually, if they get desperate, they throw a major tantrum.
Our inner self can do the same. If it knows that the way you are living is making you miserable, it will throw a tantrum.
If you are currently experiencing a “tantrum” in your life—whether it is your body shutting down, your emotions boiling over, or a sudden inability to tolerate your current work—it is simply your spirit’s way of ensuring you finally listen.
You Don’t Have to Burn It All Down
The most common fear I hear is that answering the call means destroying everything you have built. But you do not need to burn your life to the ground to find yourself.
This journey isn’t about rigid destinations or winning at life. It is about recognizing that life moves in cycles—seasons of expansion and seasons of contraction.
If you are in a season of contraction or discomfort, you haven’t regressed. You have simply raised the bar for what you expect from your life. You are ready for more authenticity, more depth, and more truth.
So, take stock of the “niggles.” Where is the boredom? Where is the friction?
You don’t need to know where you are going yet. You just need to decide to pick up the phone.
Want a personalized Mythic Map of your own hero’s journey?
That’s why I created Mythic Journey.
Your Gene Keys profile reimagined as a literal map that will reveal your most challenging internal obstacles to overcome, protective patterns to disrupt, and the gifts that are waiting for you on the other side. Over the course of 75+ minutes (in a pre-recorded video you can watch over and over again), I’ll operate as your very own guide as weave the new narrative for what you’re being called to and how to step into your full potential.
Intrigued and want to know more? Click here for all the deets!
Read the Full Transcript
What Does “The Call” Actually Look Like?
What even is a call? And how do you hear it? We are going to unpack all of these questions in today’s episode.
I told you there was a map, that we are going somewhere very specific with this journey. That means we need to start at the very beginning, which in the framework of the Hero’s Journey is known as The Call.
When we think about the call, it sounds very dramatic and positive. We assume there is a happy ending. But one of the most famous Hero’s Journey stories is Star Wars, which begins with Luke. The call that he received was actually in the form of him losing his parents. His call was a tragedy where his home was changed forever.
He had a choice. He could have chosen to do nothing. But if he was going to refuse the call, it meant accepting that his home was destroyed and life wasn’t going to be great anymore. He eventually decides to go on the quest, not knowing exactly where he was going, but knowing he had to take action.
The point is, our call does not always look like a new career potential on the horizon. So often, a call comes in the form of discomfort, disappointment, and sometimes heartbreak.
The Disguises of the Call
Sometimes the call is rejection. Sometimes it is the ending of a relationship, a layoff, or a business that has flopped. And in the case of many of my clients, it shows up in the form of internal trouble—mental health challenges, physical health challenges, or chronic issues.
For me, two years ago, I woke up with issues I’d never had before. Chronic fatigue was lurking under the surface and completely impacted my everyday life. I had digestive issues where my body would reject my favorite foods. It was a really trying period.
It was that extreme discomfort—to the point that I couldn’t live with it anymore—that made me realize something needed to change.
I have seen the same thing play out in business. A client of mine loved their business; it was a dream at one point. But slowly, resentment and boredom crept in. The business that used to give them freedom felt like a prison. It took things getting really bad—losing sleep, dealing with crappy clients—for them to finally make a change.
The Illusion of Regression
I have worked with people who have overcome the absolute worst—divorce, major changes, stress—and they feel like they are over it. They reached a point of stability. But instead of feeling happy, they feel apathy, anxiety, or even depression.
You might think, “I’ve overcome so much. I’m doing the inner work. Why do I feel like crap?”
This feeling is actually the most common form of a call. It is extreme discomfort and a need for change, rather than excitement about the future. It doesn’t mean you have regressed; it means you have raised the bar for yourself. You now have inbuilt expectations of wanting more from life.
You are listening to this for a reason. As much as I am not a fan of clichés, it is always darkest before the dawn. Our life is a series of cycles. What happens before expansion is contraction. This is part of the natural rhythm of life.
Think about the seasons. A tree doesn’t grow in a steady, linear line. Leaves fall off, things die, and then they grow back. Forest fires lead to devastation, which prepares the forest for regeneration. We are part of nature, and nature has rhythms. But we have been trying to live unnatural lives where we expect constant linear growth.
Why Stability Triggers “The Work”
If you feel like you are not the person you used to be, you are right. You have grown. First, our spirit leads us to something new. Then, we have to go on a journey to make sure our minds, bodies, and lives expand to match this new version of ourselves.
I have observed something interesting about when this happens. Often, the call comes when we are in a new phase of stability. Maybe your relationships are better, you are financially stable, or your nervous system is finally regulated.
When your body notices that you are safe, it says: “Okay, things are pretty good right now. It is time for us to do the work you weren’t able to do before.”
When you are in survival mode, you don’t have the capacity for shadow work. You are just trying to get through the day. But once you have created safety, your system might decide you are ready to face the deeper stuff—the beliefs and shadows you have been avoiding.
If you are feeling rage, impatience, or emotional distress despite things being “good” on paper, that is a clue. That is a call.
The Call is Coming From Inside the House
This journey is not about reaching a fixed destination. It is like a TV series with many seasons. In a TV show, the characters develop. The person you were in Season 1 is different from who you are in Season 5.
We are peeling back layers of the onion to get closer to the real you. Right now, maybe 10% of the real you gets to have a say in your life. We want to get that closer to 100%. The call is simply an invitation to shed the layers of conditioning, masks, and survival strategies you developed growing up.
The calling is a call to authenticity. It is the voice you have been ignoring.
As Michael Meade says on his podcast, Living Myth: “The calling keeps calling.”
You cannot miss the call. You can ignore it, but it won’t go away. There is no expiration date. Your soul wants what it wants, and it will keep finding ways to make itself known.
The Tantrum of the Soul
Imagine a hungry child. First, they ask politely for a snack. If you ignore them, they ask again. Eventually, if they get desperate, they throw a tantrum.
Our inner self does the same. If it knows that the way you are living is making you miserable, it will throw a tantrum. For me, my body shut down. It was drastic, but it caused me to listen.
The call doesn’t come from outside you. It is calling you inward. The call is coming from inside the house. It is coming from your spirit and your body.
Your Next Step
What kind of “niggles” have you been getting recently? Is it physical discomfort, boredom, frustration, or a general feeling of dullness?
Take stock of those signs. All you need to do is ask yourself: Are you ready to listen?
This does not mean you need to burn your life to the ground. We can do this in a civilized manner. But you do need to decide if you want to do something about it.
If you are saying “Yes” to the call, then keep listening. In the next episode, we will talk about what happens once you accept it. Because honestly? It isn’t always rainbows and butterflies—but when we are prepared, the journey is much less scary.
Want a personalized Mythic Map of your own hero’s journey?
That’s why I created Mythic Journey.
Your Gene Keys profile reimagined as a literal map that will reveal your most challenging internal obstacles to overcome, protective patterns to disrupt, and the gifts that are waiting for you on the other side. Over the course of 75+ minutes (in a pre-recorded video you can watch over and over again), I’ll operate as your very own guide as weave the new narrative for what you’re being called to and how to step into your full potential.
Intrigued and want to know more? Click here for all the deets!
