BONUS Mini Series - Hero's Journey - 1003 - Call to Adventure

Answering the Call: Why Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone is Key to the Hero’s Journey

The “Call to Adventure”—it’s that moment we see in every great story when an ordinary life is interrupted by something extraordinary. It’s the letter from Hogwarts, the mysterious map, or the chance to taste Green Eggs and Ham. But what does it look like in our own lives? And what do we do when it comes?

Recently, I sat down with Ava and Andrew, to explore this moment of transition. In our Hero’s Journey series, we’d already unpacked the “Ordinary World,” the familiar, often predictable, space we inhabit day-to-day. Now it was time to understand what happens next—the call that breaks the routine and asks us to step out into The Unknown. And here’s the big question we found ourselves asking: When life calls us to adventure, do we always have to answer?

What Is the Call to Adventure?

The Call to Adventure is the spark that sets any hero on a path they hadn’t planned. In movie after movie and story after story, it’s what transforms the status quo into the start of something big. When I asked Andrew how he’d explain it, he immediately thought of a mission that you could either accept or deny. He connected it to Green Eggs and Ham—a story where Sam-I-Am relentlessly pushes until the other character finally agrees to try something new. Ava, on the other hand, thought of the excitement that comes with an invitation, like Harry Potter’s letter from Hogwarts.

But we found there are really two types of “Calls”: those that arrive uninvited and those we actually seek out. Some heroes stumble into an adventure simply by being in the wrong place at the right time, while others are restless, looking for something new and actively seeking out a quest. That longing to find something different, as Ava put it, is just as much a call as the letter on the doorstep.

Do We Choose Our Call—or Does It Choose Us?

Andrew brought up a fascinating point: can we choose our own call? Is it something we can look for, or does it always have to come looking for us? He thought that if you’re in your “comfort zone” long enough, you might start to feel the itch to seek adventure on your own.

Ava agreed and thought of Merida from Brave—a hero who feels so stifled by her life as a princess that she goes searching for something different. She doesn’t wait for the call; she finds it in a mysterious spot in the woods. On the flip side, though, sometimes a Call to Adventure is unmistakably outside of our control. It might come as a sudden job offer, a move to a new city, or an unexpected event that shakes everything up—essentially, something that disrupts your Ordinary World whether you like it or not.

But whether a call comes on its own or we go looking for it, the outcome is often the same. When the ordinary turns into something unfamiliar, we’re given the choice to step out of our comfort zone—or to stay put. And, of course, there’s a third option: denying the call altogether.

To Answer or Deny the Call?

Interestingly, some of the best hero stories include a “refusal of the call.” Think of Elsa in Frozen 2. When she first hears that mysterious voice calling to her, she resists, singing “I don’t want to follow you into the unknown!” It’s like she’s trying to cling to her ordinary life, unwilling to step out because she knows it will mean change. Yet, despite her resistance, the call grows louder, turning from a quiet whisper to a deafening siren that she simply can’t ignore.

Our discussion got me wondering: Why do we sometimes deny the call in our own lives? Maybe it’s because the Unknown can be scary or because we’re not ready to leave the comfort of what’s familiar. But the price of denying the call is often boredom, restlessness, or a nagging feeling that we’re missing out on something bigger. By ignoring a call, we might stay safe, but we might also miss an opportunity for growth, learning, and transformation.

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Answer?

One of the things we talked about was how you know if you’re ready to answer a call—or if it’s worth seeking one out. For Andrew, an enticing Call to Adventure has to offer something he didn’t have before, something new and challenging. Ava added that a call could also mean solving a problem or finding something that feels lost. In other words, it’s an opportunity to bring something fresh into our lives or to face an existing challenge head-on.

But a call doesn’t always look exciting right away. Sometimes, it looks like extra responsibility, a change of plans, or something as small as an invitation we’re not sure about accepting. What makes it a true Call to Adventure is the promise that, in some way, it will bring us closer to who we could become. And often, it starts as a small whisper—just a tug that gets us thinking, “Maybe there’s something more.”

What is Your Call to Adventure Right Now?

After we wrapped up our conversation, I posed this question to Ava and Andrew: What is your call to adventure right now? It’s a question that doesn’t necessarily have an obvious answer, but it made me wonder. What is quietly whispering to each of us, hinting at the possibility of change or challenge?

I also found myself thinking of how many Calls I’ve felt (and still feel…Every. Dang. Day.) that I have had to ignore…that’s a whole other conversation…If I’m honest, the price of this denial is that a little piece of my soul dies every day that I don’t have the chance to pursue them. In my mind, this begs the question - as a busy parent with the (sometimes crushing) weight of important immediate responsibilities, how do I answer these calls? What if you hear multiple calls at once? How do you prioritize? How do you know the difference between noise and a true call? I have no answers…but I’ll carry these with me in search of other heroes that I might cross paths with in the future. I have much to learn ;-)

Answering a call might mean a small risk, a step into the unknown, or a leap into something exciting. But one thing is certain—whether you choose to answer or not, I suspect each call we encounter changes us in some way, (hopefully) preparing us for the journey ahead.

Today’s Challenge:

Is there something whispering to you to step out of your Ordinary World? Or is it a Siren you can no longer ignore? And if so, are you ready to answer it? Why or why not?

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About the Author

Angela is passionate about reshaping the way kids learn and grow. As the co-founder of Acton Academy Northwest Austin, Angela is dedicated to fostering a learner-driven environment where curiosity thrives and students take ownership of their educational journeys. When not working with young heroes, they’re often exploring big ideas on education, parenting, and lifelong learning right here on the blog.

Want to learn more about our innovative approach to education? Check out Acton Academy Northwest Austin to see how we’re redefining school for the next generation of curious thinkers and independent learners.