The journey, of course, changes them. Still, the hero must participate. They must decide to take the journey. Bilbo leaves the Shire. Ulysses sets sail. Romeo scales the wall into Juliet’s courtyard. At some point in a story, the characters divide, and it becomes obvious who will be the victim, who will be the hero, who will be the villain, and who

Pain, then, is often the teacher that transforms the hero into the guide. That is, if their attitude toward pain is accepting and redemptive.

“What if life itself is not meaningless? What if just your life is meaningless?”

Not only this, but villains, like victims, play a bit part in the story. For all their power and might and bluster, villains are only in a story to make the hero look good and elicit sympathy for the victim. For as much attention as the villain gets, the story isn’t about them.

What if the broken nature of life is a fact, but the idea we can also create something meaningful in the midst of that brokenness is an equal fact? None of this can be proven,

When we shame ourselves for acting like a victim, we’re manifesting a conversation in which the villain inside us attacks the victim inside us. This kind of inner dialogue does not create a great story either.

to accept challenges in order to transform into the person capable of getting what they want.

Transforming from victim mindset to hero mindset started with a question: Who could I become? Just knowing there was a possibility I could become a writer, that I could accomplish something meaningful, gave me the courage to take a risk and try.

Frankl’s formula to experience a life of meaning was pragmatic and threefold: Take action creating a work or performing a deed. Experience something or encounter someone that you find captivating and that pulls you out of yourself. Have an optimistic attitude toward the inevitable challenges and suffering you will experience in life.