The Hero’s journey.
Everyone wants to be a hero, even if we don’t realize it.

This desire is instilled in us the moment we are born.

When we are ready for school, we start looking for that hero we want to emulate. We begin with our parents or people who are in an authoritative position.

For me, it was Superman. He could fly faster than sound and jump tall buildings in a single bound. He was invincible. That was until he met up with Mr. Kryptonite. It was difficult to understand why just one element could be so disastrous. How could this even be possible?

As I got into my teens, the heroes then became sports figures, especially Olympic athletes.

These men and women achieved their status by becoming diligent in their profession and working to become the best they could be.

I truly enjoyed watching the Olympic games, both the summer games and winter games—athletes who continually expanded their abilities to achieve more.

After college, it was time to enter the workforce, and my focus on heroes changed once again. It was now time to let go of those hero dreams and start making a living for my family and me. I had to now concentrate on reality. I didn’t have the athletic ability to make it to the Olympics or enter any professional sport.

Identifying the Hero Within Us

I wanted to be the provider, the protector, the guide, the trainer, and the coach. I wanted my children to see me as their superhero.

When the children grew, they soon adopted their own personal superheroes. They were now looking outside of the family for their heroes. I was no longer the hero in their eyes.

Had I been taught to believe that greatness is external? Was I to fade away into oblivion? The older I got, the more I realized that every superhero would fade into oblivion as new heroes emerged. What if I were my superhero?

This new thought made me realize that I should be looking internally rather than externally for my motivation. Was I born to be the result of someone else’s dream and deny myself the beauty of my own life?

A verse in a poem by Dale Wimbrow states (paraphrased and parathesis are my words);

“When you get what you want in your struggle for (being a superhero),
And the world makes you (king) for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that (person) has to say.
For it isn’t your Father, Mother, or Partner in life (or other superheroes),
Whose judgment you must pass
The person whose verdict counts most in your life,
Is the (person) staring back from the glass…”

adapted from Dale Wimbrow’s poem, The Guy in the Glass

Let me conclude that it is easy to “fool the whole world.” Still, it’s impossible to get away with fooling oneself and thinking the superhero is our hero.

It is that amazing hero within us that is going to be the “person in the glass” to hold oneself responsible.

Is it worth it to glide through life based on others’ merits and then realize at the end that you have “cheated” yourself?

If you are interested in exploring more about the Hero within you, click here to receive a FREE tool called the 7 Day Mental Diet, which you can use right away to become more aware of your current thoughts.

In addition, when you click here, you are granted access to hop on the early notification list for the next Master Key Experience course which starts in September 2023. This course provides the framework for you to really get to know the Hero already within you and how to truly live the life you want.