Map Your Ordinary World: The First Step to Changing Everything (Module Four)

A Beta Adventure Quest from The Lab

This week, I’m gifting this post (and the next one in the series) to all Call for Heroine’s subscribers (free and paid). If you'd like to know why, you can read about it here.

This post is (usually) for Lab Members only, aka the inner circle shaping the future of The Heroine’s Adventure. As a Lab member, you get early access to every course, workbook, and tool I create before anyone else sees it. Your feedback (or silent lurking, no judgment) helps shape what’s next. In your "Spoiler Alert” posts, you’ll also get behind-the-scenes insights from someone who built and sold a 7-figure business from scratch. I’ll show you the real systems, strategies, and decisions behind this adventure so you can use them in yours.

This is the final free post in this series. Please upgrade to complete the Adventure Quest.

Healing Your Character’s Wounds

Ever wonder why Tony Stark builds compulsively, why Batman can't trust anyone, or why Katniss Everdeen struggles to see beyond protecting her immediate circle? Behind every hero's greatest strength lies a wound that shaped them. Today, we're going archaeology on your own story – and trust me, what we uncover might be your superpower in disguise.

ANATOMY OF A WOUND

Let's get real: everyone's carrying something. That time you weren't chosen, that dream you had to abandon, that moment when the world told you that you weren't enough. These aren't just memories – they're the backstory that shaped your character and future journeys (yes, you're the character, and this is your story).

As authors, we are aware that, in story, there should be no such thing as inherently evil with no explanation (in this instance, I can't vouch that the same is true for life, but put that aside for now). To explain why the characters behave the way they do, make mistakes, or choose the wrong path, we frequently write back stories to expose their flaws. The irredeemable villain? He was abandoned as a baby and raised by soulless ghosts (or something like that). The quirky, but dangerous girlfriend? She lost the beauty queen title to her high-school rival.

What are wounds and flaws in story? Consider Katniss Everdeen. She has many wounds from her past, creating a significant character flaw that must be resolved by the end of the series. The author makes all of this visible in the ordinary world.

• "I think he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when Prim brought him home. Scrawny kitten, belly swollen with worms, crawling with fleas. The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I had to let him stay."

  • Katniss has to consider actions that would hurt her, for the sake of keeping others safe.

• "My father knew, and he taught me some before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion. There was nothing even to bury. I was eleven then. Five years later, I still wake up screaming for him to run."

  • Katniss doesn't have the help and support of a father. All the caretaking responsibility falls on her.

• "He plucks a few blackberries from the bushes around us. “And may the odds —” He tosses a berry in a high arc toward me. I catch it in my mouth and break the delicate skin with my teeth. The sweet tartness explodes across my tongue. “— be ever in your favor!” I finish with equal verve. We have to joke about it because the alternative is to be scared out of your wits."

  • Katniss has to live with the constant fear of being sent to her death in The Hunger Games.

Katniss's collection of wounds creates the overarching flaw that serves as the series' spine. Her flaw is that she believes she only has a responsibility to those closest to her. She doesn't recognize that she is responsible for more or less the entire country.

But (and this is an important but) your wounds don't have to be big T, "Traumas." You may not have had to consider drowning a kitten you couldn't afford to feed its face, but you may have begged your parents for a pet throughout your entire childhood to no avail.

Your little T, "traumas" are just as valid as wound-causing. You may not have a big gaping hole from an arrow to the chest, but you may have a festering cut on your hand from a papercut. Either is valid for causing a wound, and any wound can cause problems, big or small.

Pause here. Close your eyes and recall a moment that changed how you view the world—got it? Keep it in mind as we continue.

MINING YOUR ORDINARY WORLD

Bust out your guidebook for this Adventure. It's about to become your treasure map. Between those routine moments and daily habits you documented as part of your Ordinary World lie clues to your core wounds. Ask yourself some questions to try to uncover them.

• What do you consistently avoid?

• Where do you over-prepare?

• What triggers defensive reactions?

• Which patterns keep repeating?

Your brain is brilliant at hiding wounds behind perfectly reasonable explanations. "I'm just being practical" might really mean "I'm afraid to trust." "I'm independent" could mask "I'm scared to need anyone.

In your guidebook, you'll find a column titled "Wounds." If you can think of a wound in your backstory that may have impacted the Ordinary World you documented (made it smaller than it should be, made you leave things out and not be honest, made your behavior in the Ordinary World change), write those down in the wound column.

FROM WOUNDS TO FLAWS TO STRENGTHS

Here's where it gets interesting. Just as in a story, so is it in life. Let's assume that every wound creates a flaw. Perhaps it's a coping mechanism that once protected you but might now limit you.

Here's an invigorating plot twist: just as it does for our superheroes, your flaw often hints at your greatest potential strength.

Here's a Katniss Example:

• Wound – Has been thrust into the role of a sole caregiver for her family at too young an age.

• Flaw – Struggles to trust others or ask for help; hyper-independent to the point of isolation.

• Hidden Strength – Fierce resilience and loyalty; she becomes a symbol of rebellion not just because of her skill, but because people sense her unshakable commitment to protect what matters. Her ability to carry immense responsibility becomes a leadership superpower when aligned with purpose.

Now turn the lens inward.

Revisit your list of wounds. What did you start doing (or stop doing) to survive that moment or protect yourself? Name the behavior or belief that emerged from that experience, and enter it into the Flaw column. Be honest, but grant yourself a ton of grace; you got that flaw for a reason.

Now, here's the alchemy:

What might this flaw be guarding? What strength is hidden beneath it, waiting to be reclaimed or rechanneled? Add that to the Strength column.

Remember: We're not just collecting scars here. In this exercise, we're mapping the constellation of experiences that make you uniquely qualified for your own hero's journey.

You’re reframing the origin story of your power just like the best heroines do.

JOURNALING FOR SUPPORT

Choose one or more guided practices to explore, process, and reframe the material you uncovered in the Wound → Flaw → Strength activity. Each one offers a different way to metabolize emotion and uncover insight.

Container Exercises

These structured prompts give your emotions and memories a safe and focused shape. You’re not journaling, but shaping your past and future story.

• The Memory Box - Write about a moment tied to a wound as if you’re placing it into a box. Describe what the box looks like, what goes inside, what it smells like, and what it sounds like. When you close the lid, write a reflection on how it feels to contain rather than be consumed by this experience.

• Letter to the Past - Write a letter to your younger heroine at the time of the wound. Use a warm, compassionate voice. Tell her what she couldn’t have known, how she coped brilliantly (even if imperfectly), and how you carry her forward with strength today.

• Future Self Dialogue - Imagine your future self (5, 10, 20 years ahead) who has fully integrated this wound into wisdom. Write a dialogue between your current self and her. Ask questions. Receive advice. Let her describe the life you’ve created together.

Release Work

These journaling practices are designed to help you let go of what no longer serves you: beliefs, burdens, and stuck emotions.

• Unsent Letters - Write a letter to someone connected to the wound. There's no need even to consider sending it. Say everything you’ve wanted to say, uncensored (pour it onto the page like a bucket of sludge). Then decide: will you burn it, shred it, bury it, or keep it? The choice is part of the ritual.

• Shadow Work Journaling - Explore the parts of yourself you usually reject or suppress. Ask: What do I fear people will see in me? Where did that belief come from? What does this “shadow self” actually need from me?

• Forgiveness Scripts - Use this prompt formula: “I forgive you for…” / “I forgive myself for…” / “What I wanted instead was…” This isn’t about excusing harm—it’s about releasing yourself from the grip of unfinished loops.

You can treat this like a menu. Pick one that resonates today. Or create a ritual: do one exercise each day for a week. You’re not meant to be rewriting your story all at once; you’re uncovering it, piece by powerful piece.

Your wounds aren't problems or plot holes in your life story; they're plot points to grasp onto that could lead to your transformation. The real question isn't whether you have them (we all do), but how you'll use them to write your next chapter.

Next up: "Crafting Your Fix It List" – where you decide what messages your Ordinary World is sending you and start your plan for the journey toward your Extraordinary Life.

Over to you, Lab Heroines!
This is your invitation to shape the final version of this quest.
✨ Does it resonate?
✨ Is anything unclear or missing?
✨ Do you need more of something?
✨ Would you want to keep going to the next module? If not, what’s stopping you?

Your feedback helps me make each quest stronger and gives you early access to tools that can change your life. Every note you share sharpens the impact for the next heroine who picks up this quest. I can’t do this without you. Let’s build the adventures together.