He uncovered this 'monomyth' through studying the folklore and cosmology of religions and cultures the world over. The book was written by the comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell in 1949, and it's influenced popular culture ever since.Īccording to Campbell, the journey begins with accepting a call to action, going through trials and explorations into the unknown, and then bringing back the wisdom gained from those adventures to the community. The Bridgewater Associates founder and co-CIO now says he's transitioning to the final stage of his 'hero's journey,' a concept outlined in 'The Hero With a Thousand Faces,' a book Dalio's son Paul recommended to him in 2014. 'I've evolved to the stage where to have others successful without me being successful is the most beautiful thing I can do,' Dalio recently said in an interview with Business Insider. Ray Dalio says he wants to help people more than he wants his own success.

Dalio's son, Paul Dalio, recommended the book to him in 2014, and Dalio found it useful to identify where he is along the journey, and where he's headed.

The book, published in 1949, establishes the notion of a hero's journey, a mythological archetype that can be applied to the paths of more modern heroes and the personal development of just about anyone.

Joseph Campbell's 'The Hero With a Thousand Faces' helped him understand how failures affect a hero's journey, or the common path that Campbell found between myths of different cultures.

Ray Dalio, the billionaire investor and founder of Bridgewater Associates, has experienced failure, like when he made a prediction about the US economy that didn't come true.

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Hero of the thousand faces