I recently finished reading "The Happiness of Pursuit" by Chris Guillebeau.
"The Happiness of Pursuit" explores one answer to the fleeting question, "What should I do with my life?" by profiling the remarkable stories of individuals who found purpose by taking on adventures or "quests" that require sacrifice and incremental progress before arriving at a clear end point.
What is a Quest?
In the book, Chris chose the following criteria to be the main pieces of a "quest":
* Clear goal with a specific end point
* Challenging, neither easy nor impossible
* Requires sacrifice of some kind
* Driven by a calling or sense of mission
* Contains a series of small, progressive steps
Obviously, these criteria could be applied to a wide variety of pursuits. Right now, I am most interested in starting a "personal" quest, with an objective tied to my physical fitness, finances, or hobbies. However, one could also focus their quest on a professional, educational, or social goal (while still receiving personal satisfaction from it).
What are some of the quests detailed in the book?
* Sailing around the world on a small sailboat
*Read an entire encyclopedia set in one year
* Cook a meal from every country
* Complete the entire MIT computer science program in one year
If you would like to learn more about any of these stories, I would definitely recommend buying the book.
"The core message is that a quest can bring purpose and meaning to your life, too. Why pursue a quest? Because each of us in our lives is writing a story, and we only have one chance to get it right."
The Hero's Journey
An adolescent receives a sudden call to adventure after discovering their special abilities. First reluctant to accept the challenge, this young hero soon feels a sense of obligation, know the owner of a new mystical artifact, departs on a journey from their home. After a series of trials, friendships, and romances, the protagonist discovers themselves, conquers their inner demons, and saves all humanity from evil.
That's the oversimplified story of Peter Parker. Or was it Katniss Everdeen? Luke Skywalker? Harry Potter?
Why do the stories of these characters have such appeal? They are simultaneously fantastical and relatable. Each provides a model to follow... a character we can attempt to emulate. Because few of us will be called to slay dragons, but each of us finds ourselves as the main character of our own stories every day.
The phrase "hero's journey," sometimes the monomyth, was popularized by writer Joseph Campbell. He broke this journey down into 17 stages, such as "The Call to Adventure" or the "Road of Trials," which often varied in order and not all were included.
Let's pull a few examples from the quests in "The Happiness of Pursuit":
Crossing the Threshold: After Nate couldn't shake his crazy idea of walking across the country for two years, he set out on his journey one spring and followed through one step at a time.
The Temptress: Metaphorical for any temptation that could distract the hero from his or her journey. For Tom, however, it was finding love on his trip, giving him the opportunity to really evaluate his priorities and objectives.
Refusal of the Return: Successfully protesting logging by living on top of a tree for 400 days, it took a natural brush fire before Miranda decided she had proven her point and would return home.
Are You Ready to Answer the Call?
When asked about the purpose of life in The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell responded that "I don't believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive."
Quests are one way to inspire these experiences. Your life story may consist of one quest that consumes you or many different quests that each receives their own chapter. The plot of the book is up to you.
Are you ready to answer the call?