I'm My Own Hero

A few years ago I received a sweatshirt from my oldest son with the quote "I'm My Own Hero" printed on it. Above the quote sat a picture of him and I, sitting on Santa's lap, when he was a baby. I love that sweatshirt. Mostly because it's message is a reminder to be kind to myself. I love writing messages here and if there is an underlying theme to my messages, it is "Be Your Own Hero." It is not a matter of self-aggrandizement, but rather a sense of cherished value for your life and the influence your life has on others.

If you have a "hero" it could be beneficial to stop and think how you see that hero in your life. Have they done something extraordinary? Are they successful in life? Do they have extraordinary virtues? Are they teachers? Authors? Scientists? Philosophers? Mystical masters? Are they close to you? Are they stars or celebrities, or notable public figures? I did an exercise once where I was asked to pick five of my heroes and list five attributes for each. At the end of the exercise, we were asked to circle three of the most common attributes found among the five we had chosen. The theory was that the attributes we commonly listed were our own attributes, whether consciously lived or lurking beneath the surface in our subconscious. It would be a good exercise to do again.

Today, be your own hero. Write down all the amazing things you have done for yourself or others in your life. Make a list of the differences you have made simply being alive. Count your friends and your family, your life's work or your hobbies. This is a list that can always be edited, added to, or deleted from. Dig down and find the hero that exists within you, so you can draw on that hero when things become difficult or worrisome, or simply overwhelming. Take that hero into your moment, right now, and breath in the courage of that hero. That hero will not let you down, nor will it ever leave you. It is simply waiting there, in the shadows, for a hug.