A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
~ Christopher Reeve
Who is your hero? Do you immediately think of a relative, teacher or coach? Many of us do...
And, if you could have a superpower, what would it be? Flight? Mind-reading? Teleportation? Super strength?
While they are all fantastic for various reasons, even super, dare I say, they are fantastic because they are based in fantasy! It's fun to imagine these superpowers, and yet here on earth, secure in reality, it is important to know you are super and you, in fact, can be your own HERO!
How so? Think of embracing and living these four concepts:
H – Happiness
E – Empathy
R – Resilience
O – Optimism
H - HAPPINESS
When you decide to be happy, you realize it is a lot about your choices and your perspective...meaning it is up to you. Sure, that means you embrace that life’s not a RomCom and that yes, you are responsible for your own happiness, and that others will simply enhance your happiness or detract from it. Move closer to those who enhance it, and move away from those who detract from it. Similarly, there is no need for or place for FOMO, the Fear Of Missing Out, and there is a ton of room for what I call JOCO, the Joy Of Celebrating Others. Skip the words "So jealous" and/or "You are so lucky", and practice saying and believing "You deserve it" and/or "So happy for you"! When things don't go well for you, name what happened, don't blame anyone, and simply reframe what you're experiencing for moving forward. No matter what, the mantra of happiness is "Gossip is garbage, jealousy is junk, comparison is crippling & settling is stifling." Be honest with yourself, then you can be honest with others.
E - EMPATHY
As you honor happiness and truthfulness fully, you are able to empathize with others. Empathy is NOT thinking or sharing what you would do in someone's situation, rather it is making the effort to imagine what someone else may be experiencing, and respecting that with grace. Using “I can only imagine” or "I cannot even imagine" over “I understand” and "You are in my thoughts and on my mind" instead of "I feel so bad for you!". Additionally, you can replace judgment with assessment when you ask before assuming and respecting self and others. Do practice kindness through actions. Be kind to others and be kind to yourself. It is most likely you will sincerely be empathetic when you are comfortable and confident in your own skin and life!
R - RESILIENCE
This is your "bounce-back-ability", and having the capacity to focus/re-focus. In a resilient state of mind, we admit when we are wrong, without constant apologizing. You find being focused on now and not the past allows for sorrow, for being disappointed in a situation while you won't be devastated as a person/leader. When you are resilient, you can, and will see something different for you…and for others!
O - OPTIMISM
You can learn optimism as an outlook and adopt it as forward-thinking positioning. Now this is NOT confetti kindness or popcorn positivity, as that is toxic, and optimism is a true belief that you’ll get through, not get over whatever is happening. The altruistic outcome of optimism is the get to a place that is right, just, and best. It is not “it is what it is”, rather it is what you make of it. Please look at optimism as self-belief, meaning a reliance on self ...with room for others.
With superpowers in our dreams, being your own HERO is both dreamy and deliberate! HEROism is here and now when you know and show happiness, empathy, resilience and optimism! While others may be heroic, keep in mind that you are, in fact, a HERO!
