Did you have a super hero growing up? I can remember the Marvel Comic Book superheroes as if it was yesterday. For the younger among you, GI Joe and Wonder Woman might have been your heroes, and there were many others — something for everyone. We admired these characters for their strength and bravery and compassionate and independent behavior. They made us think that we could be like them — if only a little bit. We liked to be on the side of the super hero or super heroine because it was usually the just and right place to be. It made us feel good to identify with them.
Flash forward to today, and ask yourself about your heroes. Not super heroes — just your every day hero variety. They could be mentors and teachers, parents and other care givers, religious or world leaders, colleagues and friends, or sundry other people whose personal traits and abilities you admire. Ask who inspires you. Who has something that is special to you and makes you want to spend time with them?
Now, as Marshall Goldsmith, the leadership guru and one of my mentors, suggests in a recent video, emulate those personal traits and abilities. Don’t just admire them in others, but make them compelling standards in your own life. If they are your heroes, then why not try to be like them? Write down the positive attributes and put your own name at the top. Aspire to be more like those people. The reward will be that you will admire yourself even more.
Check out the video and ask yourself, “Who are my heroes?” Make it part of your plan for a successful and meaningful life. It is all about finding solutions to your life in other places — and other people.
Become your own hero! As Marshall Goldsmith says, “It could change your life.”
