Having The Courage Of Becoming Your Own Hero

Your hero today has set himself/herself apart from the rest. They have the ‘right’ values, careers, or relationships that you’d want in your life.

In one way or another, a heroes has experience in developing the mindset of becoming, which is from Carol Dweck’s book called Mindset.

For instance, I think a hero has to be courageous in various forms — and various situations.

Having the courage of your convictions is a form — and breaking with all traditions, averting from the consensus as much as possible are the situations my heroes would face.

If we can live in this window for a moment, than my heroes (and maybe yours) are those that ‘think for themselves.’

Now this came from a podcast I listen to, The Tim Ferris Show with Eric Weinstein on “Challenging ‘Reality,’ Working with Peter Thiel, and Destroying Education to Save It” (See my Evernotes here)

In the interview, Eric Weinstein says “Peter has not only the courage of his convictions but has been right so many times and over enough things he’s had the freedom to break with all traditions when he thinks the world is wrong and one or two people may have it right — and thats exactly my cup of tea.”

That’s my heroes cup of tea. And a cup of tea I tried when I started thinking for myself. You see in my world (might I remind you Kansas is a landlocked state) if you go to college and study business for four years, you don’t get out of college and become a skipper.

But that’s exactly what I did. And because I was terrified by the thought of working a 9–5 job, I found a hero that I could become. One who broke free from traditions and averted from the consensus that was around me.

Weinstein said “the first issue is that it’s so difficult to think for yourself, because social constructed reality is so much a part of our lives..”

And it’s true. My social reality at the time was drinking, partying, and believing that my grades dictate how my career was to start once I left the social bubble that was college.

I challenge you to find a new hero in your life, one that you can become. And I’m not talking about these Instagram celebrities or other self-proclaimed millennial millionaires.

Plato said “It really matters who we admire, for celebrities to influence our outlook, ideas and conduct. And bad heroes give glamour to flaws of character.” — The Book of Life

We need to adapt, learn, and overcome the bad flaws of character that have a hold on our social constructed reality. Or at least take a step back and ask if we are giving glamour to bad flaws in character. — I know I was.

For that, we need new heroes.

And if who we admire says anything about who we become, than we should believe in the heroes who help us in becoming our own hero.