You are the Hero

It’s a Bird….It’s a Plane…..It’s Supermaaaaa—WAIT….. It’s YOU!!!

You Are the Hero You Have Been Waiting For

I grew up, shy and stringy haired, with my nose forever planted in a book.

As a child, I breathed and slept European fairy tales of giants, mermaids, and fair maidens. I daydreamed the adventures of Narnian Chronicles, falling in love with kings and princes, talking beasts, tree spirits and the great golden lion.

As time went on, the children’s books turned into novels; and my heroes morphed. From brave medieval knights, King Arthur and his royal entourage in Camelot, to the strong willed yet delicate Jane Eyre—the heroes in my life sought adventure, love, and truth.

Relentless time continued on, and my heroes could be found in the books of Toni Morrison, Amy Tan, and many others. Characters, men and women alike, who had suffered unspeakable horrors in times of war, starvation and the worst of social ignorance and brutality. These brave souls and their stories kept me in check amidst my own superficial complaints.

As I voraciously read my way through my youth, I kept mental notes of the heroic qualities these literary figures embodied – courage in the face of fear, determination of mind and heart, willingness to love wholly, inspiration to help others, passion to follow their dreams. I hoped with all my heart that by reading about them, some of those qualities would rub off on my tentative nature.

And then as adulthood crept its way in, the heroes and stories were relegated to dusty bookshelves and I gradually forgot about them, as the realities of nine-to-five life took center stage. I might have forgotten about these brave souls forever, had I not found myself wishing for a hero to turn up and save me.

We Are the Heroes We Have Been Waiting For
At an unhappy point in my own life, I realized that I was lost—and I longed to be rescued from my own discontent. I had made my way to the tenth floor in a high profile public relations firm, only to find myself an unhappy account executive, wishing to fly as free as the hawk zooming past my window. Little did I know, that a hidden cape faintly fluttered beneath my somber grey pantsuit, and that I was about to activate a dormant superpower of my own.

What does it really mean—”We are the heroes we have been waiting for?” It means that we don’t have to wait helplessly for Superman or Wonder Woman to swoop down and rescue us. It means that each of us has the power to create the lives we want to live, in every moment of every day. We can save ourselves! When we begin to become aware of the superpowers we each possess, and then, when we practice them, life begins to transform itself in wondrous ways.

Remember Your Superpowers
It is my belief that we come into the world, gifted and bestowed, with all the superpowers we need to live fulfilling and magical lives. But sometimes in our human experience, we forget we have them. Until we remember them once again. Here is a list of four key superpowers to jog your memory:

Trust your feelings, your intuition and your inner knowings:
Superheroes are masters of trusting their intuition. Your gut and your heart never lie. If something doesn’t feel right to you, trust your feelings about it. When you use your inner guidance as your compass, you cannot go wrong.

This was the dormant superpower I finally paid attention to in my own situation. By society’s standards, I had it all—a college education, a decent career, and a comfortable livelihood. What more could I want? However, I knew without a doubt, deep within me—my life on the tenth floor of the office high-rise was not for me.

As I resolved to finally follow the inner urgings of my heart, I left the high tech professional world, and followed my calling to serve others. How was I going to serve others? I had nooooo idea. But it felt good to follow my feelings and my heart’s calling, even if I did not know where it would lead. Superpower activated!

Think for yourself:
Thinking for ourselves might be the twin sister to trusting ourselves. Superheroes have the courage to think for themselves. They often think outside the box. And they know this secret: Thinking for ourselves can be tricky sometimes, because we may have inadvertently taken on the thoughts and beliefs of others.

This was the case in my experience. I had let the well-meaning intention of others overshadow my own inner wisdom. I had grown up believing in values taught to me by my culture, family, society—that hard work, education, and a high paying career were the keys to happiness. As I observed my situation, I discovered that I had been raised with the best intentions—but with beliefs that I now realized did not resonate with me. I decided to let go of the thoughts of others and began thinking for myself.

Believe in possibilities
Superheroes believe in possibilities. They know that creativity is born here. They think for themselves; they trust their feelings and intuition. Because they trust themselves at a deep level, they know they are the artist of their entire lives. As a result they believe that anything is possible!

I made my lists of careers, in which I believed I could serve people – teacher, nurse, social worker, paramedic to name a few. Serendipitously, someone mentioned that if I wanted to be a paramedic and wasn’t afraid to run into burning buildings, I might consider becoming a firefighter. I believed in possibilities.

Follow your own unique path
When we trust ourselves, think for ourselves, and believe in possibilities, we have created the mold for our unique path to unfold. Superheroes are not sheep! They follow their individual interests and passions. Where there is no trail, they forge their own. Superheroes also allow others to follow their own unique way, because they understand that this superpower is a key to happiness.

As I followed my calling to serve others, I found myself with surprise on the adventurous and fulfilling path into the world of firefighting. A far cry from the tenth story office, I bow to my inner hero for peeking her head out and saving the day.

Your Inner Hero Awaits

You and I are meant to be the heroes of our own lives. Like the heroes in the novels of my youth, we innately possess a multitude of heroic qualities, simmering beneath our human surface.

In this life, surely we can call upon others for some guidance and direction when we need it; and we are fortunate that there are many who can lend us a hand. But, when we begin to know ourselves and awaken to who we really are, we will realize and trust that we are our own best superhero.

Will today be the day you find your inner hero?

(S)he waits for you expectantly and patiently—waiting to be discovered by you, in every moment of every day.