“You become mature when you become the authority of your own life.” – Joseph Campbell
Let’s play a game.
Leonardo DiCaprio, the Wolf of Wall Street himself, calls you up and says:
“I need you to design a character for me to play. And none of that hand-me-down, copycat character design crawling around Hollywood these days. I want an original. Start from scratch, think for yourself, and create something great. And hey — don’t fx this up. My career depends on it.”
Okay, you think.
No pressure, it’s just Leo’s career.
So you hang up the phone and get to thinking…
What makes a truly great character?
Well, it’d be pretty dope if he was a billionaire genius who flew around in a metal suit that shot laser beams and — s#!*, no, wait, that’s Iron Man.
Okay, what if he was like, some young jedi warrior type with a super-slick sword — a sword made of lasers! — and fought space aliens and one of them was like, secretly his Dad and…
…S#!*, no, wait, that’s Star Wars.
Man, this originality thing is kinda hard.
Okay, Leo told me to think for myself — so let’s think.
One more time…
What makes a truly great character?
1. Purpose.
Yes, that’s it! Every great character has a purpose; a deep, burning imperative that drives them forwards.
Okay, what else…
2. Principles.
A great character has principles; a code they live by, and don’t break for anyone. That’s how they demonstrate integrity and honor, even though they also have…
3. Imperfections.
Now we’re cooking with palladium! All great characters have flaws that make them relatable and human. A perfect character is a boring character (Tony Stark was kind of a dick, wasn’t he?) — and the best characters own their imperfections.
What else, what else… Oh, of course:
4. Proof.
A great character proves their greatness through their actions and behaviours (how else?)
Am I missing anything?
Ahh, that’s right:
5. Path.
All great characters have a path; a process of personal evolution as they grow to represent something bigger than themselves.
Frodo was a coward until he sacked up and carried the ring to Mordor like a champ…
…So maybe Leo could be like, really short, and live in a hole in a hill, and then find this all-powerful gem — a ring! — and go head to head with this crazy-looking dragon/demon thing…
…S#!*, no, wait, that’s Lord of the Rings.
Okay, back to original thinking:
1. Purpose; the driving force.
2. Principles; the personal code.
3. Imperfections; the flaws that make him real.
4. Proof; the behaviours and actions that prove his greatness.
5. Path; the personal evolution from self-centered to service.
Now that, you think, is a character fit for the hero’s journey.
But hold on a minute.
The hero’s journey isn’t just a story, is it?
It’s an instruction manual.
It’s not about Leo or Frodo or Tony Stark, it’s about me:
The character I’m playing and the journey I’m making in the master-work I call my life.
And it’s not Leo’s career that depends on my character design…
…It’s my life that depends on my character design!
The epiphany rocks your mind like thunder:
What if I designed myself using this framework?
Well, excuse me for breaking the fourth wall here, but I’m so glad you asked 🙂
This framework…
Purpose – principles – imperfections – proof – path
…Will guide us through The Art of Self Design, when we work together to craft your very own original character:
A character (personal identity) based on your highest vision for yourself, and who you authentically want to be — instead of who the world tells you to be.
It’s a rare individual who knows, on a deep level, who they are, what they stand for, where they’re going, and why.
If knowledge is power, then self-knowledge is the ultimate power…
And my goal, next week, is to arm you with that power.
Stay tuned…
– T
P.S. Here’s the plan, in case you missed it:
On Monday (December 11th), I’ll open registration for our new course, The Art of Self Design.
Registration will close on Thursday (December 14th) at midnight, and the course will begin on Friday.
(and our daily email lessons will continue the whole way)
In the meantime, here’s where you can catch up on the rest of our Self Design series:
