Who are your heroes?
Heroes can make a big difference for motivation. Who do you want to be like?
They don’t have to be perfect, no one is. Just pick out something you really admire about the person and try to emulate this quality. The famous psychologist Carl Jung popularized the idea of archetypes and the unconscious collective mind, which he believed we inherited from our ancestors. According to him, we can identify with heroes, in literature and in life, and this is a healthy thing for us.
Here are some of my heroes, and why. My Granddad and Dad for serving their country, for being honest and good men, and for knowing so much about how to do so many things, particularly with their hands. My Mom for being a constantly nurturing, kind, and caring person, literally helping 1000s of people throughout her life.
Rosa Parks for refusing to get off the bus, Notre Dame’s “Rudy” for grit, John McCain for courage, Jesus for grace, Ayn Rand for intellectual courage. Jobs for creativity and commitment. General Lee for being a gentleman. Washington for dignity. Reagan for communication abilities. I’ve been lucky to have many great mentors. Most of my heroes I admire for some type of courage.
The Navy Seals I admire because they are the baddest dudes on the planet and passed what is quite possibly the most difficult physical training possible. Sometimes, when I’m gutting out a tough workout I think about them.
I could care less about NBA basketball but I read recently that Kobe Bryant gets up at 5am every day to work out and practice for 4-5 hours every morning, before the team practices! I admire Kobe Bryant for this.
Heroes tell us stories. Stories inspire emotions and emotions motivate us into action. Don’t expect them to be perfect (most anyway), but pick some heroes to help you stay motivated.
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