My Hero by Jason Leister (guest post)

I read this post earlier today and really enjoyed it. Jason underscores the importance of being your own hero, and that totally vibes with my message in my self-coaching guide for writers, The Writer’s Adventure Guide. In my mind, you are the hero of your book writing adventure. Jason gives permission to reprint all his content (so awesome), so here’s his letter “My Hero” for your enjoyment.
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The Desert of Arizona
Partly Cloudy 60 Degrees

Our heroes can sometimes unintentionally trap us into a life long struggle to be like them. It’s not their fault if we put them on a pedestal and think of them as godlike or perfect. To think of them as supermen can prevent us from finding our own way of playing and living.

For this reason, all heroes must eventually be given up. Although they help us in the beginning, we cannot let them stand in the way of our development. At some point, you must become your own person, creating your own way of doing things.

This is not to say that we stop respecting our heroes. We just stop worshipping them. The pedestal we put them on exists only in our minds.

(Roy Burns, 1981)

Growing up, we were told that the world is split into two groups: leaders and followers. Leaders are heroic. They overcome great obstacles and achieve spectacular things.

Somehow, leaders like those who founded this country… the ones that rebelled against a tyrannical system, are to be admired, but not emulated. For that would be “against the rules.”

For many of us, the group of “leaders” we were taught about never seemed to incude US. We were simply taught to watch the heroes from afar.

This type of brainwashing sets up a very interesting dynamic in your mind. It installs a deep seated belief that what they have is not something that you can have. And it helps you dismiss the possibility that the way they act is not the way you could or should act.

And so you spend your life putting these leaders and heroes on pedestals… chasing after them… hoping that they can help you move forward. But you miss noticing the artificial wall you have willingly built between you and them.

It took me far too long to stop looking for heroes to save me and to start focusing on acting like a hero myself.

Whether or not others view me that way is none of my business.

But know that you can be your own hero. You only need permission from yourself.

Just be prepared to see your life and business change in dramatic ways when you actually give yourself the green light.

Onward,

Jason Leister
Editor, The Client Letter
Incomparable Expert
Source: artofclients.com

(More of Jason’s articles and resources are here: http://www.incomparableexpert.com/my-hero/.)

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