Photo Credit: ashley rose, via Compfight
Many of us have heroes or leaders that we look up to: deities, demigods, as well as human beings that who have gone before us, or even live in the here and now. We define them as heroes because in spite of adversity, they stand up for their beliefs with their strength of character.
Each hero understands which situations he or she inherently excels in, and where they are less developed, they call on the support of others. They step into the light when needed and take up a cause.
And each man stands with his face in the light.
Of his own drawn sword, ready to do what a hero can.
--Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Each one of us already is a hero to someone-a colleague, a friend, a child, or even an elder. And many of us haven’t acknowledged that we’re heroes yet…until now.
Cracking your Brilliant Hero Code:
First, take out a pen and piece of paper and begin by answering the following questions:
- Who are you’re heroes?
- What qualities do you share with you hero? Make a list of adjectives that describe you and your heroes. Are you brave, empathetic, resourceful, strong, or loving and kind? Make a quick list of at least twenty adjectives.
- Next, define your greatest strengths or super powers by circling your top three qualities from your list of twenty.
- Now write three short paragraphs, one for each of your greatest strengths. Next, outline when you first became aware of this super power and how you have used it already in your life to overcome difficult or challenging situations.
- Then search the internet for an image that represents your greatest strengths. It can be an image of anything-from a person, to an animal, to a thing. Print out your image and place it where you can see it on a daily basis. (Please let me know how your life changes simply because of glancing at this image each day, this is powerful stuff.)
- Finally, allow us all to celebrate you and your brilliance by posting your hero image below, please include your three greatest strengths too. Let’s create an entire gallery of Brilliant Heroes together!
Ready, set, then…get hero cracking!
Blaze is a fire-starter and mentor to people who want to light up the world! She helps others discover who they are and what they want to manifest in their lives.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Blaze I love articles that really make me rethink things, thanks for that a bit of homework for this evening! Have a great day (love the blog design)
Ciara recently posted..How to Take the Plunge and Beat Procrastination
What an awesome exercise, Blaze. I’m printing it out to go with me on sabbatical! Thank you, love!
Debra Smouse recently posted..Manifesto on Balance
This is a great exercise Blaze. Right off the top of my head I know determination is on my list…off to make my list. Thanks
Kathy McHenry recently posted..Steps
Cheers to you and your list!
Ashley is showing up in hero-land for me, too, this week. I’ve collected a number of heroes, and what do they have in common? Grounded in self, insightful, confident, know when to employ humor, making it happen, creative, compassionate, achieving success on their own terms. They see life’s bigger picture. Passionate. They have purpose.
Some of those are my strengths, too… on the path… Really enjoying this thought-provoking exercise.
Sally recently posted..Reinvention lessons from a bad melon
Sally,
Achieving success on their own terms…Brilliant!
Blaze
Brilliant Blaze! My heroines are Princess Diana, Mother Theresa and Marianne Williamson. All servant leaders strong in unconditional love, compassion and service to the world.
Christine,
I see those traits…compassion & service…lovely.
Blaze recently posted..Six Steps to Become Your Own Brilliant Hero
Oh, what a great exercise, Blaze! I’ve done something similar recently. We had to pick a person we admire and then list what we admire in them. Loved doing that – so insightful! What came up for me was ‘doing their thing no matter what others say’, grounded, playful, abundant, free.
An recently posted..You can change the world with a hot bath.
Woo hoo…An’s ready to play!
I would say that my heroes represent independence, brains, confidence, optimism, sass and love.
My heroes are more everyday people who go after things even though they might be unpopular — trailblazers I would say.
But I really do love Lori Lynn’s use of mythology!
Cindy,
Brilliant hero traits indeed—Independence, Brains, Confidence, Optimism, Sass, and Love.
Sass really resonates with me! Cheers to your Sassy self.
Blaze
Dear Blaze,
Thinking about it, I realize that I have many heroes in my life, for all sorts of reasons… but the very first one was not even a real human being. In fact, she was a fictional character. Let me explain…
When I was a little girl, I was very timid and shy. I found it very, very hard to stand up for myself and speak my own voice… and so my father kindly introduced me to Scarlett O’Hara – from the classic movie, Gone With The Wind.
Although I totally disagree with many of her controversial and unethical ways to achieve her goals, Scarlett positively influenced my life on several aspects… and she continues to do so even to this day!
Her main qualities: strength, courage and determination… which helped me trade shyness for purpose so that I can help others with their goals of extraordinary success and happiness.
Warmly,
Chantal
Chantal Beaupre recently posted..Create More Happiness in Your Life by Practicing Extreme Self-Care
A powerful trade for shyness Chantal!
Interesting! I haven’t found an image yet, but the core qualities I came up with were humor, vulnerability, and connection.
Joanna Weston recently posted..To Do What I Love
oohh this is awesome!
For me I like to pull my heroines from mythology:
Aurora, the goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun
Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and military victory.
Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill
Lori Lynn Smith recently posted..5 Simple Steps to Harness More Time
Lori,
Great idea…hero and heroines are everywhere, including mythology.
Blaze recently posted..The 3 Biggest Lies We Tell Ourselves to Keep Us Stuck, Bored, & Depressed
Here’s my newest hero: Ashley Judd
Excerpts of Ashley Judd quoted from the Daily Beast:
–I do not want to give my power, my self-esteem, or my autonomy, to any person, place, or thing outside myself.
–The only thing that matters is how I feel about myself, my personal integrity, and my relationship with my Creator.
–A central part of my spiritual practice is letting go of otheration.
Blaze’s 3 Brilliant Hero Qualities: Powerful, Integrity, and Relationship Centered
Blaze recently posted..Six Steps to Become Your Own Brilliant Hero
I agree Blaze! The things she said about patriarchy really got me.
Katie recently posted..Love You
Hi Katie,
Sometimes there is a popular/celebrity figure that just seems to “get it.” Ashley Judd seems to be just such a person to me these days.
Blaze, I love the idea of pairing this with a powerful image, what a great idea! I’ll let you know when I’ve done the exercise and found mine!
Mindy Crary recently posted..Why Downtime Is Essential To Money Peace
I agree with you so much Katie, my niece and nephews are my heroes too!
Blaze recently posted..Six Steps to Become Your Own Brilliant Hero
Hi Blaze- I look forward to doing this exercise. I like that you mentioned a child when suggesting the types of people who might be our hero. My son is definitely a hero for me. He is kind, loving, smart, compassionate. I strive to be more like him-he is a great example and I am honored to have him in my life! Thanks for this article.
Katie
Katie recently posted..The Truth about Bullying
{ 1 trackback }