We all have a super hero figure we look up to – Batman, Superman, Nelson Mandela or even Justin Bieber.
We read up on their stories and find refuge in them for the day to day things we struggle with – love, loss, obstacles, pain, unjust world and victory. Their journey from slavery to freedom, gives us hope for our worldly worries. For batman, his journey was overcoming his fear of bats and choosing justice over vengeance for his parent’s murderer.
At the core, the very stories these heroes tell themselves determine their values and emotions which in turn fuel character and decisions.
For Batman, after having his parents killed by a criminal, he told himself the story that this was his calling to a greater purpose in life and he became a crime fighting vigilante. For Nelson Mandela, despite being a respected lawyer, he told himself the story that this was his calling to do greater good for his fellow citizens and he became the leader people were seeking.
For your inevitable setbacks in life, what story do you tell yourself? Do you turn your obstacles into missions?
Don’t just watch and look up to super heroes. Be a superhero yourself. What do you fight for?
Lessons Learned – How to be a Super Hero
- The story we tell ourselves is the story that shapes our decisions and eventually our lives.
- Your internal story drives your external performance.
- Don’t just look up to heroes. Live your life like them.
Self-Reflection
This is what I used to come up with my story. Fill in the highlighted blanks to write your story.
Note: In your journey from slavery to freedom you will fail many times just like how heroes did. It is knowing how to come back from setbacks, that will get you through.
7 comments On How to be a Super Hero
Pingback: 2015 Year in Review ()
Pingback: The Hidden Secret Behind My Learnings ()
Isn’t it like, when we call someone a ‘hero’…calling somebody a ‘hero’ is giving them that place which we can’t achieve. This entitlement of ‘hero’ is complex in its own way like we want to be like them but we know we can’t, else why wouldn’t we call ourselves a hero?
Good Question, Sugandha. You may have heard the famous saying “A hero can be anyone – even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulder to let him know that the world hadn’t ended” – Batman, the Dark Knight Rises.
The reason I bring up that quote is because we have this “ideal” (http://www.jawwad.me/everyday-ideals/) that we have to be extra-ordinary to be a hero. We are all heroes in our right – if we just focus on OUR story not the media’s story.
Awesome and I love it. I’m on my own hero’s journey as well. Also, I feel like becoming superhuman is something we should all be striving towards. For me, our life is like a book and we can make it into an Odyssey if we only choose to act in a certain way. Those conversations and associations we have in our head definitely are so important.
Wow Jawwad your reflections are like jewels that i really look forward to getting. Our narratives are so important and what better way to keep them on a positive track! I will write my own superhero now.
Also wanted to let you know how much your site is positively impacting on my life.. i bought the GTD book and have just discovered ‘bullet journalling’ as a fantastic way to capture and review all my tasks and notes in one place that doesnt tie me to technology..just what i was looking for.
Pingback: 4 Insights from Einstein’s Journals ()