Greetings brothers and sisters

I man personally could not have achieved what I have without my heroes and their example. Nelson Mandela, Marcus Garvey, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and others. They have allowed me to take my path and realize my goals were attainable.

The word hero is Greek, from a root that means "to protect and to serve". A hero is someone who will sacrifice their life for the wellbeing of others or to achieve an ideal that most have given up on or would not attempt. We are blessed to be able to vicariously go through what they did and somehow experience the hardship and discipline needed to reach the status of hero. Yet too many of us are afraid or reluctant to take the hero's journey which in I man mind is the pinnacle of the human condition - a free spirit, fully alive, thriving to achieve a worthwhile goal. Take up any autobiography - in written word or audio form and be inspired by the men and women who have taken or are taking the hero's journey.

• In their heart and soul they know life must change for them. A mentor, a book, a speech, a film, an experience or just a yearning of the spirit has been the catalyst that is leading them to their destiny. After they've overcome the nay saying thoughts or the well wishing frenemies they will take their first steps along the path.
• A call to adventure was heeded and you know now that you are going to leave your ordinary world and embark on an extraordinary journey. A goal has been set that fired the imagination and drove them relentlessly to do whatever was necessary for its achievement.
• They learned about the preparation that was needed - then they moved away from the ordinary world they were accustomed to, arming themselves with sometimes nothing more than their passion.
• Gaining inspiration along the way from wherever it was available is important. If they were lucky, they would have flesh and blood mentors along the way, if not books, music or films would come to your rescue but sometimes to maintain the enthusiasm they had dig deep into their souls. Because they found out that strength and confidence comes from within.
• Facing their first real test is always a shock to the system but they got used to it. There will be times when things become so difficult that we begin to question our motives and goals. When these moments arrive they require a calm and serene mind. No rash actions or judgements, just a willingness to listen to that still small voice that guides us and remind ourselves that anything worth achieving in this life will be hard before it gets easy but it will get easier.
• You are going to come across Allies and enemies on your path and although you should be able to differentiate between them being aware they are coming is invaluable. So too is knowing if a mentor's principles are aligned to your own. Sometimes a mentor is the one who made you realize that the journey must be taken in the first place, so if you are true to yourself then you're protected. When you come across the enemies the voices of your coach, parent, teacher, spiritual guide or whoever had shared their wisdom with you will be echoing in your head aiding you as you negotiate the pitfalls. Listen to your inner voices.
• Fear is your constant companion, so you embrace and learn to use its energy to propel you forward instead of allowing it to reduce you to a quivering wreak. Slaying the dragon is the vital moment in any hero's journey when that insurmountable challenge is bested. You have the resilience to endure the arduous tests because you have burnt all your bridges and know you cannot go back. Life will fully understand how important this journey is to you and that you have no intention of giving up and eventually concede defeat but only if you face your fears and conquer them.
• Many people are disappointed at the end of the journey because they thought whatever they aspired towards was the whole reward but its not. The whole reward is achieving the goal, having the experiences, the lessons learned, the realization that you have become more than you started out as. Only then will you appreciate the rewards.

Once one journey ends, another begins. This is what we were created for, our grand design and we would be doing ourselves and Jah the creator a disservice, to not fulfil it.

Jah blessings.

Joshua