I usually write about life in the Belize jungle or the roads I’ve cycled across North America and Mexico. But today, I want to take a detour. This post isn’t about a place or a ride—it’s about a journey we all go through, even if it looks different for each of us.
I’m sharing it because the lessons I’ve learned from my own challenges—facing fear, pushing boundaries, and finding clarity—aren’t tied to Belize or a bike. They’re universal, and they can help anyone navigating their own path, no matter how uncertain it feels.
Think of this as a map for your own journey, drawn from my experience. My hope is that by walking you through it, you’ll see your own possibilities a little clearer—and maybe take a bold step forward today.
Whether you’re navigating your career, personal growth, or the unexpected twists life throws at you, I hope my story can offer a spark of insight, a reminder that the path forward is always possible—even when it doesn’t look like what anyone else expects.
What the Hero’s Journey Can Teach Us About Facing Life’s Challenges
Have you ever felt like your life was meant for something more, but the way forward looked impossible? Maybe it’s a career change, a desire, a move, or just that restless sense that this isn’t it.
There’s an old storytelling pattern called the Hero’s Journey — it shows up in the Bible, myths, movies, and even everyday lives. It’s the idea that we leave the comfort of the known, face trials, grow through them, and return with wisdom.
I didn’t know it at the time, but my own life — In Canada, from sweeping factory floors, to long-haul trucking, to biking 26,000 kilometres, and then living in the jungles of Belize — followed this same arc. And chances are, your life has traces of it too.
Here is how the Hero’s Journey Flows
1. The Ordinary World
- The hero starts in their normal life, often restless, unfulfilled, or unaware of their potential.
- For me: Back in Canada, it started by hitting rock bottom, at the age of 40, sweeping factory floors. Getting my AZ truck driving license and driving long-haul trucks, working hard, forging a path out of hopelessness.
- For the reader:
• Where are you right now in your “ordinary world”?
• Are there areas of your life where you feel stuck or unfulfilled?
• Advice: Take note of your current life—it’s the foundation for your next chapter.
Long-haul trucking – forging my path out of hopelessness
2. The Call of Adventure
- Something disrupts the ordinary life — a challenge, an invitation, or a yearning.
- For me: Personal heartbreak (broken engagement), the urge to test my limits, and the dream of adventure (bike touring, Belize jungle life). That was my “call.”
- For the reader:
• What dreams or desires are calling to you?
• Have you experienced a moment that pushed you toward change?
• Advice: Listen to the call, even if it feels impossible. Recognizing it is the first step.
My bike – my call to adventure
3. Refusal of the Call
- Many heroes hesitate — fear, doubt, comfort.
- For me: I didn’t refuse outright, but I delayed it until I could no longer afford to. I worked dead-end jobs, lived through poverty and hardship for well over a decade. That hesitation is part of the process.
- For the reader:
• Have you ever felt a pull toward something bigger but hesitated? Why?
• What fears, doubts, or comforts held you back?
• What small step could you take toward that call today?
• Advice: Hesitation isn’t failure—it’s reflection. Use it to clarify your path forward.
Many heroes hesitate — fear, doubt, comfort.
4. Meeting the Mentor
- The hero encounters someone who offers guidance, support, or inspiration.
- For me: For me, there was no one. I had to become my own mentor by sheer grit. My great-uncle provided me with the truck driving job out of poverty, and a co-worker was gracious enough to train me.
- On my bike ride, overwhelming acts of kindness made me reconsider all sorts of personal attitudes.
- For the reader:
• Who could act as a mentor in your life?
• Are there people whose experience or guidance you could learn from?
• Advice: Seek support, listen closely, and don’t underestimate the power of guidance.
5. Crossing the Threshold
- The hero leaves the familiar world behind and enters the unknown.
- For me: When I set off biking across Canada in winter, the USA during Covid-19, and later through Mexico into Belize — that was my crossing the threshold. I literally rode away from my old life into the unknown.
- For the reader:
• What would leaving your comfort zone look like?
• What small action could symbolize your “crossing the threshold”?
• Advice: Courage doesn’t mean no fear—it means moving forward anyway.
Tests – freezing cold winters
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
- The hero faces trials, meets helpers, and confronts obstacles.
- For me: On the bike – freezing cold Canadian winter, scorching desert heat in Baja, betrayal at every turn in Belize, no support, endlessly waiting for Belize residency, people trying to screw me over. Teaching me resilience.
- Also — strangers and allies: people who showed generosity and kindness on the road, or helped me in Belize.
- For the reader:
• What challenges might test your resolve?
• Who could be your allies along the journey?
• Advice: Identify both obstacles and support—you’ll need both to grow.
Tests – scorching heat. So hot it feels like death
7. Approach to the Core Challenge
- The hero prepares for the biggest ordeal — facing the darkest fears or the hardest test.
- For me: Choosing to build a life in the Belize jungle despite setbacks. Being alone, vulnerable, yet committed. Facing the fear of: “Will this actually work? Did I make the right choice?”
- For the reader:
• What is the “core challenge” in your life—the fear or challenge you’ve been avoiding?
• How can you mentally and emotionally prepare to face it?
• Advice: Reflection and planning here are crucial—acknowledge what scares you.
8. The Ordeal
- The big crisis — death/rebirth, facing what seems impossible. Testing the hero’s strength and resolve.
- For me: Years of uncertainty with Belize residency. The deep anxiety of being stuck between worlds — not fully Canadian anymore, not yet secure in Belize with no support. That waiting but not quitting was my trial by fire.
- For the reader:
• What is your biggest test right now?
• How can you approach it with patience, resilience, and courage?
• Advice: The ordeal transforms you. Lean into discomfort—it’s growth disguised as struggle.
9. The Reward (Seizing the Sword)
- After surviving, the hero gains new strength, wisdom, or a gift.
- For me: My jungle discipline. My philosophy of “Discipline Over Comfort.” That is gold forged out of my suffering.
- Being one of the few—actually living out my dream.
- For the reader:
• What reward are you seeking—freedom, knowledge, confidence?
• How can you recognise and celebrate small victories along the way?
• Advice: Take stock of your progress—it motivates the next stage.
Reward: living the life
10. The Road Back
- The hero starts the return journey, carrying lessons and wisdom to share.
- For me: My blog, my coaching/consulting ideas, my memoir. This is my “road back” — sharing my journey with others.
- For the reader:
• How will you integrate your growth into your daily life?
• What lessons could you bring back to improve your ordinary world?
• Advice: Transformation isn’t only for yourself—share what you learn.
11. The Resurrection
- A final test — the hero must prove their transformation under pressure.
- For me: My permanent residency approval (August 27, 2025). That was a rebirth moment. I earned belonging here. Now it’s not just adventure — it’s my life.
- For the reader:
• What would a full transformation look like in your life?
• What final challenge might confirm your growth?
• Advice: Embrace change fully—you’ll never return exactly the same.
12. Sharing the Gift
- The hero comes home with wisdom or a gift that benefits others.
- For me: My gift is my lived wisdom: how to live with discipline, how to embrace discomfort, how to actually reach a dream. My memoir, blog, and coaching are the “gifts” I bring back for others.
- For the reader:
What wisdom, skills, or inspiration could you share with others?
• How can your journey positively impact the people around you?
• Advice: Your experiences have value—use them to uplift others and close the loop on your hero’s journey.
Share what you learned with someone
In short
Your story isn’t just a personal adventure — it’s the Hero’s Journey. Your journey from an ordinary world, to a call to adventure, through hardship, trial, and near-collapse, and hopefully the stage of turning that experience into wisdom you can share.
Final Thought
If you’re in the middle of your own ordeal right now, don’t mistake it for failure. Transformation often feels impossible while you’re inside it. But on the other side, you’ll carry wisdom that no one can take away.
That wisdom — your own “gift” — might be exactly what someone else needs.
