The greatest story ever told

There once was a regular man — or woman, if you prefer, but let’s just go with man — who lived a regular life, in a regular town.
Let’s call the man Max, because every man needs a name, and Max will do.
By all accounts, Max was ordinary. He came from an ordinary family, had an ordinary job, and lived an ordinary life. If Max were a Mr. Men character, he would be Mr. Nobody.
Then something happened to Max. An event that turned his life upside down. I would tell you about it, but the details don’t really matter.
And so Max was thrust into adventure. He didn’t seek it — it sought him. He encountered enemies at every turn, but there were also allies and mentors who came to his aid.
He fought many battles, but even at his darkest hour, Max never abandoned hope.
He could succeed. He would succeed.
And succeed he did… until he didn’t. In a tragic turn, Max was killed. Or something along those line. In any case, all was lost.
And then… Deus Ex Machina. God from the machine. An unpredictable event brought Max back and saved the day.
Max prevailed. He returned home to share his spoils, bury his demons, and tie up loose ends. Deep down, he knew life would never be the same.
That’s it. The greatest story ever told. It’s the exact same story you know and love.
You might know Max as Neo, Frodo, or Luke. Or maybe it’s Jesus, Buddha, or Moses. The formula is the same: The Hero’s Journey.
Historian Joseph Campbell described the formula in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
The Hero’s Journey includes several stages across three main segments:
1. Departure
2. Initiation
3. Return

The Hero’s Journey is a powerful template for storytelling. If you internalise it, you can reverse engineer the best stories and understand what makes them great. More importantly, you can adopt elements of the formula to make your own stories more compelling.
For example, a bio can become inspiring by including a call to adventure, an ordeal, or a triumph.
Before:
Dr John Doe is an orthopaedic surgeon and CEO of Children with a Cause. Dr Doe migrated from the US to Tanzania in 2005. In 2007, Dr Doe founded Children with a Cause, a non-profit that provides clean water and medical care to children.
After:
Dr John Doe began his career as an orthopaedic surgeon in the United States. Unsatisfied with providing middling care, Dr Doe migrated to Tanzania in 2005 to work with impoverished communities. In 2007, Dr Doe overcame many hurdles to found Children with a Cause, a non-profit that provides clean water and medical care to children.
Both bios are factual, but the former is dry and disjointed, while the latter could be a log line for a Hollywood movie.
Likewise, a case study, testimonial, or landing page can become compelling by including a call to adventure, a refusal of the call, and a rebirth.
TLDR: The Hero’s Journey is a fantastic formula for parable and entertainment, but its potential goes beyond that. We can learn the formula and use it to tell better stories in our personal and professional lives.
Reverse Chemistry is an education studio in Sydney. What story do you want to tell?
