Who doesn’t love a story with a successful hero? Heroes have been around since the beginning of time, in real life and within stories.
What if you could be the hero in your story? What if you simply adopted the mindset of being a hero? Your life might get a whole lot more fun and exciting. This is easier to do than you might think.
Imagine a brave and intelligent character faced with your challenges. What would such a character do in your situation? What are the logical first steps to solving your challenges and creating an adventure for yourself?
List the thoughts, mindset, and behavior of a hero in your situation. Imagine the perfect hero for living your life. What would they think? How would they behave? What skills would they have?
Ignore your past failures. We’re talking about the hero version of yourself, not yourself at your most vulnerable, least successful, or least resourceful. We’re talking about right now. The past has no place in the mind of a hero. Leave the past behind.
List things you won’t tolerate from yourself. Would a hero sit on the couch, eat a bag of chips, and watch the entire Breaking Bad series for the third time? Would he feel sorry for himself? Would he procrastinate? What are the thoughts, habits, and other behaviors that you need to eliminate from your life to become the hero of your story?
Visualize yourself being the hero in your story. Take a look at the first steps you need to take. Imagine yourself taking them. See yourself thinking and behaving like a hero. Get used to the idea of being heroic.
Let go of your ego. A big part of your ego’s job is to keep you where you are. It’s all based on consistency and fear. Allow yourself to think the thoughts you need to think and to do the things you need to do. Free yourself from the concern of what others think. You can be much more than you’ve been demonstrating recently.
Thinking of your life as a story is liberating. It makes it a little less personal and a little more like a challenge to conquer. It creates a little distance, which is helpful. It allows you to better see the truth of the situation and to make better decisions.
Be active. Heroes don’t sit around waiting for things to happen. They make things happen. The average person is passive, so stop being passive. Take control of the situation and of your story. What can you do right now to get started? Just do it.
Heroes don’t accept mediocrity. One of the greatest causes of misery in first-world countries is settling for mediocrity. The average person knows in his heart that he could be much more, but he can’t quite get himself to do it. It’s a tragedy that only becomes more painful as one ages.
Refuse to accept mediocre goals, effort, and results from yourself. Raising your standards is a necessary first step for enhancing any part of your life. You get what you’re willing to tolerate.
There is no one rushing to save you from your circumstances. Your salvation ultimately lies with yourself. Few people develop themselves fully and live their lives to the fullest.
Be courageous and willing to pay the price that life is asking of you. You can have anything you want if you’re willing to step up your game. Rise up from the ashes and be the hero of your story.
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Thank you for reading our blog!
- Mike Acker
Check out my new book on Public Speaking: Speak with Confidence, published by WILEY.
A breakthrough to develop confidence in speaking, leadership, and life. A follow-up book to my best-selling book, Speak with No Fear