The video explores the concept of heroism through mythology, aiming to identify the characteristics and journey that define a hero. The speaker highlights how each person has the potential to embody heroism at different points in their life and career, discussing the mythical blueprint as a model for personal growth and heroic action. By harnessing the hero's journey conceptualized by Joseph Campbell, individuals can find paths to become their own version of a hero.

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. mythology [mɪˈθɒlədʒi] - (n.) - A collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition. - Synonyms: (legends, folklore, myths)

I've always looked at mythology as a place where I can actually go back into, sit back, relax, and just look at stuff that people talked about a long time ago.

2. trajectory [trəˈdʒɛktəri] - (n.) - The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces. - Synonyms: (path, course, route)

Many years ago, he analyzed many mythological characters around the world from various mythologies and came to the conclusion that any hero out there has gone through a similar path, has taken a certain trajectory in his or her lifetime.

3. alliance [əˈlaɪəns] - (n.) - A union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations. - Synonyms: (partnership, coalition, association)

Has to deal with many different alliances, has to deal with many different partnerships, needs to break a few, needs to make new ones.

4. mentor [ˈmɛntɔr] - (n.) - An experienced and trusted advisor. - Synonyms: (advisor, guide, counselor)

You meet your mentor, who pushes you over the threshold.

5. elixir [ɪˈlɪksər] - (n.) - A magical or medicinal potion. - Synonyms: (potion, concoction, brew)

And then finally, return of the elixir where you distribute what you've learned.

6. resurrection [ˌrɛzəˈrɛkʃən] - (n.) - The action of bringing something back into use or existence. - Synonyms: (revival, restoration, rebirth)

And then begins the most important part, the road back, the resurrection, where people look to you differently.

7. hero's journey [ˈhiːroʊz ˈʤɜrni] - (phrase) - A narrative framework that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, faces and overcomes a crisis, and then returns transformed. - Synonyms: (monomyth, adventure arc)

The hero's journey, the one thing that defines who a hero is and what a hero's journey should look like.

8. ordinary world [ˈɔrdəˌneri wɜːrld] - (phrase) - The normal world setting where the hero begins, before venturing into the unknown or supernatural realm. - Synonyms: (mundane world, everyday life)

You start with the ordinary world. You get a call for adventure at first.

9. threshold [ˈθreʃˌhoʊld] - (n.) - The starting point of an experience, event, or venture. - Synonyms: (gateway, entry, doorway)

You meet your mentor, who pushes you over the threshold.

10. innermost cave [ˈɪnərˌmoʊst keɪv] - (phrase) - The central crisis point in the hero's journey where the hero faces their greatest fear or challenge. - Synonyms: (core challenge, central ordeal)

And then you approach the innermost cave, where you decide personally why you want to achieve this.

How the hero’s journey can help you succeed - Nitten Nair - TEDxTAPMI

Hello, everyone. It's been almost 13 years since I last stood on the TEDx stage. A lot of things have changed. I've grown older, I think a little bit wiser, definitely wider. But the one thing that hasn't changed has been my love for mythology. I've always looked at mythology. I've always as a place where I can actually go back into, sit back, relax, and just look at stuff that people talked about a long time ago and try to figure out how that can help me today. And what I'm going to be trying to attempt today is to do the same thing for you and introduce you to what I call the mythical blueprint, the magic potion for each and every one of you to become a hero.

Now, when I use the word hero, take a second, close your eyes, and think of the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word hero. Now, for most of you, might be a superstar, might be an actor, might be a sports person, maybe a superhero from the Marvel Universe, DC Universe. It could be someone you look up to. It could be someone who you respect. But then what is the question? What is a hero? None of these images actually speak or define what a hero is. So maybe I should change my question. What defines a hero? Now, this question is much more easier to examine because I'm sure if I started from that corner to this corner, all of you would give me some version of one of these words. Now, is that what it all it takes to be a hero? If I'm a good person in time management or, you know, I have a lot of confidence in myself. Am I a hero? Well, not necessarily, but then who is a hero? It can be anyone. It can be you sitting over there who was just looking to your left. It can be this young girl in front over here. It can be me. It can be any one of you.

And let me tell you this, this might be a very unpopular opinion, but of all the people sitting in this room, all of you are not going to end up as CEOs. Of all the people sitting in this room, all of you are not going to become great leaders. But each and every single one of you has the potential to become a hero multiple times in your lifetime, multiple times in your career. And that is what I'm going to be talking to you about. The hero's journey, the one thing that defines who a hero is and what a hero's journey should look like. Now, this concept has been defined by Joseph Campbell. Many years ago, he analyzed many mythological characters around the world from various mythologies and came to the conclusion that any hero out there has gone through a similar path, has taken a certain trajectory in his or her lifetime that has taken them up to that level where they are once again a hero. Not a God, not a demigod. They are heroes. And that's what you all can strive to be as well.

Now, what I'm going to do is tell you two stories. Yeah. But I'm going to do it slightly differently. I'm going to tell you two stories from mythology that I have adapted to the modern day workplace. Yeah. And then we'll delve into the characters and see what they are and learn more. But now it's story time. So for ease of, you know, conversation, let's call them Ramesh and Suresh. Yeah, sure. Ramesh is a wonderful employee, loved by his team. He is this dedicated guy who comes to work, loves his job, does whatever is needed, and goes back home with the satisfaction of being able to do a great job. Everyone loves him. He's given importance, but he doesn't shy away from it. And then one fine day, a new client walks into the office.

All of a sudden, Ramesh is excited. He feels a certain connection with his client that he's never felt before and demands to be part of that project. So what does the CEO, the manager do? Assigns him to it. And that is when all hell breaks loose. They realize that the position that the client is in has never been experienced by anyone else before. They have no clue what needs to be done. They're running around like headless chickens trying to figure out what can be done from this. That is when a senior manager comes down and talks to Ramesh and says, listen, Ramesh, I believe that you have the skill set required. I believe you have the potential, and I'm very sure that you will be able to come out with a solution. So why don't you take a stab at it, go ahead, do what needs to be done and find a solution for this client.

So what does Ramesh do? First, he's little reluctant. He's not sure whether he should be doing this. Then he decides, okay, let me give it a shot. And he leaps right ahead, jumps right into it. Has to deal with many different alliances, has to deal with many different partnerships, needs to break a few, needs to make new ones. He goes, does what he needs to do. And when he realizes that he's really understood what the solution is and he can actually solve it on his own, he decides to come back, share this knowledge with the whole team and Then tell them that this is what is needed to be done and they go together as a team and solve this. Ramesh goes back to his job, keeps doing what he loves.

Second story. Suresh. Now Suresh is an extremely ambitious employee. He's extremely talented. He keeps building his skills. There's no one in the company who has the skill set that he possesses. No one has the amount of knowledge that he possesses. But unfortunately he's a pain in the. You know where. He irritates his managers, irritates the clients, does not care for what the client has to say, does. Does not care for the experience of his teammates, does not give a damn about anyone. All he is concerned with is about getting to that designation which he knows he deserves. Getting that paycheck which he knows he deserves and which no one can deny. All his focus is towards that.

Then what happens? The management decides to give you a break. And one fine day when he. He's been going through this struggle, a new manager comes in and says, I'll take him on board and I'll teach him what needs to be done. And the first thing he says is, every time you act selfishly, I'm going to deduct your salary. Okay, now let's start working. And over the next few years, Suresh learns that working together as a team has more benefit. Why? They all win together. His victory alone is never. The victory for the client, is never success for the company. It's individual.

He learns to work as a team. He learns to share his experiences. He learns to share his knowledge with the rest of the team members and pick up everyone and move together. And finally, even without him asking for it, even without him demanding for it, the company happily gives him the designation, the paycheck, the respect that he always wanted. So these are two characters. Do you think you can identify them from mythology? The first one is from Indian mythology. For those who are not aware of the story of Hanuman, before the. Before Lord Ram came into the picture, he was just a normal Vanara soldier. The moment Lord Ram came in, he understood his purpose in life. When they are stuck on the shores, looking over and saying, Lanka is there. But we don't know how to go there. We don't know what to expect there. Jambawan comes in and pushes Hanuman to taking that first leap and you know, finding out what's there.

Hanuman goes there, finds out what the army is doing, finds out where Masita is, understands what their army is capable of. He destroys half the city with his tail on fire. But he comes back and they win together as a team. Make sense? Now, if you look at the second character, this is from Chinese mythology, and I'm very particular about why I chose it, because this is Sun Wukong. He is the Chinese monkey God. And Sun Wukong, if any of you have seen the movie, Monkey King knows about this character. Extremely arrogant. He has that stick which gives him all the powers in the world, and he uses that to his benefit. He's extremely talented, no one can deny. He robs from the gods, he steals from their pantry, drinks their wine, and basically creates nonsense. He is banished away into a Mountain for 500 years. And then Guanyin Odhistava comes, takes him out, makes him wear a headband that actually tightens every time he has a negative thought. And through process, he. He becomes a true leader, a true Monkey King.

So these are two characters, and the one thing that binds them together is not the mythology behind it, is not anything behind it. That is the hero's journey. This is the pathway that many people look up to define who is a hero. You start with the ordinary world. You get a call for adventure at first. You refuse the call because you're scared. You're insecure for many different reasons. You meet your mentor, who pushes you over the threshold. Once you're over the threshold, you meet up, have tests, you form alliances, you have allies, enemies. And then you approach the innermost cave, where you decide personally why you want to achieve this. Once that's done, you go through your challenge, you finish it up, you get the reward. And then begins the most important part, the road back, the resurrection, where people look to you differently. And then finally, return of the elixir where you distribute what you've learned.

Any hero you take from mythology, from your life, would have gone through varying stages of this. It's not an equal, equally divided path. Some people have longer periods in certain sections, some people have shorter. But each and every hero that you take would have gone through this. Let me give you a few examples. Bill Gates versus Steve Jobs. We can argue till the cows come home, but both are heroes with their individual parts. You can check for it yourself. Field of sport, the baddest man in the ring versus the richest man in the ring. They both had their journeys and they're heroes because of that, not because of the money they've made. Vidya Balin from TV to headlining a film on her own, and Kareena Kapoor from headlining her film on her own, from being born into film royalty basically, to headlining her own movies and TV series. They both had their journeys, regardless of how easy you think one journey is or the other.

Now, why do we need the hero's journey? Because this is the most important part of this whole talk. Because what we tend to do in our hero's journeys is we forget the last part. After the road, after we come back, we are supposed to share what we learned with the rest. It is not meant to be kept for yourself. Because what happens if you don't complete that most important part of your hero's journey? You're not on a hero's journey. You're on a hero's loop, where, since you've not finished, you keep doing the same thing again and again and again and again and again. You're no longer a hero, you're a tool. A tool that will be used again and again and again and again. It will not let you move into taking up different journeys because your career or your life is not meant for one hero's journey, it's meant for multiple.

You complete a hero's journey, embark on your next one. You're a painter. You finish your painting. Leonardo da Vinci didn't stop with painting the Sistine Chapel. He moved on to something else. You need the freedom to move on to something else. And that will come only from mentorship and sharing what you've learned with the others. Because you don't want to be that one dreaded word in the corporate world. Let me tell you this as a piece of advice to all these young minds. If your HR or your manager says, buddy, you're irreplaceable, run. The reason being Lawrence J. Peter said it best. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted from a company. What they want is they want a person to sit there at the least possible expense to keep doing a job really good again and again and again and again.

Your hero's journey is your responsibility. For that, you need to teach someone what you've learned so that you can go and learn new things. You can embark on your own journey. This is the one message if I wish that if you guys can take it home with you today, I'm pretty sure that I will be happy to have inspired a new set of heroes. I don't care about CEOs, I don't care about department heads. I want to see a hundred different heroes emerging from this room.

Now, for all those who have not managed to understand the concept of the hero's journey, I'm trying to make something really simple here. And this will easily give away how old I am as well. The two of the most biggest heroic characters, romantic hero characters of my time was Prem Nath from Hamab Kehe Khan and Raj Malhotra from Dilwale Dulanya Le Jaenge. Forget Shah Rukh Khan, forget Salman Khan. For you to figure out how this whole thing works and who is a better hero character. Just look at their journeys. See how they've gone from being single to getting the love of their life. That itself is a hero's journey. Think about it and let me know when you can.

Thank you so much.

MYTHOLOGY, EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP, INSPIRATION, HERO'S JOURNEY, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT, TEDX TALKS