Be the Hero in your Study

The original saying goes: Be the hero of your own story.

These words are attributed to Joseph John Campbell who was born in New York in 1904 (he passed away in 1987). Joseph Campbell, as he was known, was an American professor of literature whose work covered many aspects of the human experience. According to Campbell, anyone can become a hero.

For Joseph Campbell study – and reading – was really important. Another of his sayings was: “Sit in a room and read – and read and read. And read the right books by the right people. Your mind is brought onto that level, and you have a nice, mild, slow-burning rapture all the time.”

From the age of 25 Joseph Campbell spent five years on intensive and rigorous study, according to Wikipedia. He would divide his days into four three-hour periods, of which he would be reading in three of the three-hour periods and in the fourth three-hour period he would be free to do whatever he felt like.

This might seem extreme but if you follow the basic principles of what Joseph Campbell did, you could become the hero in your own study and this will make it so much easier to become the hero in your own story later in life.

How do you become the hero in your own study?

• Go to class. Never miss a class!

• Make sure that you have all the notes that you need.

• Do all your homework – every day.

• Use your time wisely i.e. invest in the time you have. Drawing up a schedule or study timetable is a good idea.

• Read often.

• Do not procrastinate.

• Set goals for yourself.

• Hone your learning skills. Learning skills that are important include critical thinking, creative thinking, communicating (verbally and in writing) and collaborating.

• Read more often.

• Develop your self-confidence and work on your self-esteem, academically and otherwise.

• Develop your own values and stay true to any commitments you made to yourself.

• Dream big and work hard to make your dreams come true.

• Read some more.

Make the word ‘HERO’ your mantra:

H stands for help: do not be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
E stands for education: make that your number one priority.
R stands for results: focus on achieving the best results possible.
O stands for opportunities: look out for opportunities and make use of it when it arises.

Another of Joseph Campbell’s famous sayings was: “Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”

YOU ARE YOUR OWN ANSWER. YOU ARE ALSO YOUR OWN HERO.