Big Brother Blog: See the Hero in You

Thursday, April 1, 2010

See the Hero in You | The BridgeMaker

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 03:37 AM PDT

A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer. – Novalis

Article written by Alex Blackwell. Connect with me on Facebook.

Ordinary people just like you and I perform heroic acts every day. All we have to do is stop long enough to see the hero in us.

Heroic acts are not only measured by their grandeur or ability to change history, heroic acts are measured when simple tasks are performed that positively influence the lives of the people who receive them.

Heroes grab the bag from the overhead storage bin for the person who can't lift it; heroes remember those who are alone and make certain they are considered; heroes wipe the noses of their sick children. Heroes keep their promises.

Too often we don't take sufficient credit for what we do. We may think it's an obligation, an expectation, to care for our families, to help with homework, or to run an errand so our partner doesn't have to do it. But these things are indeed heroic because the life of another person has been made just a little better.

There is great value in doing these things because anyone can show up in life; but a hero contributes to life.

Heroism can be measured by how well you take care of yourself, too. Making the decision to step out of your comfort zone and into the fear is indeed heroic. No one may be watching and no one may ever notice, but you will know if you took that leap of faith to pursue a dream or to change a part of you that you knew needed some changing.

Heroism isn't just measured in gulps, it's also measured in teaspoons:

There has to be some hero in you when the alarm clock starts your day and you don't stop until you return home and set the alarm for the next day.
There has to be some hero in you when you trade security for risk and set forth on a new path that will take you to where you have always wanted to go and be who you have always wanted to be.
There has to be some hero in you when you protect the defenseless and use your voice to help them use theirs.
There has to be some hero in you when you live by your wedding vows; when you love, honor and protect and never do anything that would violate the trust.
There has to be some hero in you when you look over the fence and know your grass is greener.

Don't understate your own significance. Your very presence can be just the lift, the encouragement someone needs to get through the day. This may sound trite, but there's some hero in you when you become aware of your own importance and use it to achieve ordinary results that have extraordinary implications.

See the hero in you and feel your amazing strength.