Interview with writer Will Craig

Writer Will Craig joins me today to chat about his self-help personal growth book, Living the Hero's Journey: Exploring Your Role in the Action-Adventure of a Lifetime.

Bio:

Will Craig is a writer-photographer traveling the world on the journey of a lifetime. He is the founder and former dean of Coach Training Alliance, an international coaching and mentoring company based in Boulder, CO. 

He holds a master’s degree in Education and Human Development from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Will Craig’s purpose and passion is helping people discover their life’s path by charting new adventures in personal growth and lifelong learning.

Welcome, Will. Please tell us about your current release.

Living the Hero’s Journey guides the reader on an epic quest of self-discovery. Explore the legends behind today’s action-adventure films and yesterday’s mythic tales. Experience personal growth and development through the lens of movies and mythology. In an age where people look outward for direction and upward for inspiration, Living the Hero’s Journey provides a time-honored template for looking inward and going deep for the answers we seek.

What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired to write this book because I needed to take the journey myself and thought it might be nice company to have the reader join me. I wanted to understand what is happening in my life. I wanted to acknowledge and appreciate the ongoing tests and trials I face instead of resenting them for being disruptive and inconvenient.

Excerpt from Living the Hero’s Journey:

The Studio of the Universe is making a motion picture about your life, and guess who’s playing the lead role? You!

You are the hero of your life. Who else could be? Sure, there are those leading men and women in films, books, and television whom you might like to emulate. But in the movie that is your life, you’re it. You are responsible for what happens—and what doesn’t. You decide who gets cast in which roles and even the lines you speak. Ultimately, you determine how well you do at the box office of life.

It may seem odd that we need to explore our role in our own life, but there is more here than meets the eye. How many times have you been someone for someone else and knew you were not being the real you? How many times have you done something for someone else that you knew wasn’t congruent behavior for you? Maybe you are in that position right now.

You get to write your own script while immersing yourself in this book. Truth be told, you’ve been writing it all along. You get to be the you who is inside kicking and screaming to get out. The you who has always been there without a voice and finally gets to step up to the call. The you seeking your date with destiny. Life will never be fulfilling until this happens. Somehow, this doesn’t come as a shocking news bulletin to you. You’ve known this subconsciously for some time now. Today you begin a new journey—a Hero’s Journey.

What exciting story are you working on next?

I’m currently studying and researching individuals who have made the leap from success to significance.

Success is a measure of control one has over the outside world that then quantifies a person’s inner value. The flow of energy and value comes from outside the individual and is internalized.

Significance flows from the inside out. Significance is what we give back, pay forward, and bestow upon others. It is the gift of experience and wisdom that radiates out from people who know what to do with their achievement.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I started writing this book almost a decade ago. At a certain point, I abandoned it only to come back years later to finish what I had started. I first considered myself a writer when I reread what I had written and thought, “Did I write this? Are we sure?” I rarely get full of myself but I must admit I immersed myself in the moment. Maybe I could be an author after all.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I am a writer and photographer. I split my time between these two creative passions. I think the diversity keeps my brain malleable and open to seeing familiar views with new eyes.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I don’t have all the answers, and Living the Hero’s Journey is not a “how to” book. In other words, you’re not going to receive a to-do list on how to live your life. There are no “shoulds” and “musts” here. I only hope to transform some knowledge and information into experience—an experience that enables you to bypass many of the obstacles while developing and honing your own guidance system.

I encourage you to combine the passages that resonate with you and what you already know to be true in your heart. Build your knowledge base, as I’m attempting to do, and gain experience that will garner you wisdom. We’re in this together. I am your adventure guide and loyal ally for the entire quest.

Thanks for being here today, Will.