It’s Time to Be Your Own Hero 

We’ve all looked up to someone and felt inspired. It could be our parents, a friend, a teacher or a celebrity. It’s fine to have role models, but when you lean too heavily on someone else, you lose sight of who you are. You’ll never be a perfect imitation of someone else. Let others help inspire you, but work to become your own hero. Become someone you respect and admire. Look no further than your own reflection – change your way of thinking and take control of your life, and you’ll be much happier for it. 

1. Others can’t succeed for you. So you want to be just like Taylor Swift? That’s great. You might idolize her and try to mimic her, but guess what, her success isn’t yours. No role model can make you successful. You have to do it yourself. While you’re wasting time following her successes, you’re missing out on your own. 

2. Your goals aren’t like anyone else’s. Your life and goals are different from anyone else in the world. Why follow in someone else’s footsteps? Your path to success is going to be different. Following someone else might just lead to failure. Lead the way and inspire yourself to achieve your goals. 

3. It makes you acｃountable. It’s easy to blame your heroes when things go wrong. Maybe they weren’t particularly inspiring that week or they didn’t tell you “good job.” You’re not their responsibility. The moment you decide to be your own inspiration, you start holding yourself acｃountable for your actions. 

4. Other heroes come and go. Odds are, the people you look up to will leave or disappoint you in some way at some point. Then what will you do? You’re not going to leave yourself. What better person to look up to? Having a consistent role model in your life keeps you from making excuses and giving up. 

5. It makes you a better person. You obviously want to be like someone who has their life together. When you look to yourself, you stop procrastinating and start making positive changes in your life. You start becoming someone you’re proud to be. One day you look in the mirror and realize you truly are the best role model for yourself. 

6. Our views of other role models are skewed. Here’s a harsh truth: your heroes aren’t perfect. They have problems. They fail. They have bad days. When all you see is perfection, it’s impossible to ever be like them. This just makes you feel bad about yourself. You know yourself, including your strengths and weaknesses. You know you’re not perfect and it makes you a better role model. 

7. You’re the one who has to make the choices. In the end, you’re the one who has to make all the choices regarding what you do with your life. You could idolize someone for years, but they’re not going to make sure you make the right choices to achieve your goals. You have to motivate yourself enough to make all the choices yourself. 

8. It boosts your confidence. When you see yourself as the hero of your own story, you instantly feel more confident. It makes you feel like you have control over your life. You know your successes are your own. 

9. You stay true to yourself. It’s amazing how some people lose who they are when they get obsessed with being just like someone else. As your own role model, you’re able to stay true to yourself. You don’t have to sacrifice your beliefs or become someone you’re not comfortable being. The only person you have to be is you. 

10. You can inspire others. The respect you have for yourself, the hard work you do and the confidence you have helps you become a role model for others. The best part is since you’re staying true to you, you’re a more realistic inspiration to those around you. Plus, having others look up to you boosts your confidence even more. 

11. You’re more likely to act on your goals. If you’re the only one acｃountable for your success, you’re more likely to act on your goals. You don’t want to let your hero down, which means you don’t want to let yourself down. The pressure of being a role model pushes you to work harder to succeed. 

12. You’re only out to impress yourself. You work hard, but it’s never quite enough to impress the people you want to impress. What do you do? You give up. If you’re only out to impress you, every small victory is a major accomplishment. You stay motivated and happier. 

13. Life isn’t a competition. Having other role models means you constantly compare yourself to that person. You try to be just like them and eventually even better than them. While you’re focused on some imaginary competition, you’re putting so much stress on yourself that you burn out. You don’t have to compete with others. Simply do what’s best for you and remember your life isn’t like anyone else’s. Your only competition is yourself.

Article Source: http://www.thebolde.com/its-time-to-be-your-own-hero/
Image Source: http://howtobeyourownhero.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Hero-1-for-slider.jpg

VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Imitation (n.) ~ a thing intended to copy something else
2. Mimic (v.) ~ imitate someone or their words or actions
3. Acｃountable (adj.) ~ required or expected to justify actions or decisions
4. Skewed (adj.) ~ biased or distorted in a way that is regarded as inaccurate, unfair, or misleading
5. Impress (v.) ~ make someone feel admiration or respect

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. Was there ever a person you admired or idolized in your life? Describe the person and discuss your reasons for admiring this person.
2. Have you ever tried to mimic or imitate someone? What happened?
3. According to the article, why is it important for us to be our own hero? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
4. It’s common for people to blame others or circumstances when they fail at something. What is your opinion on this kind of behavior?
5. What aspect of your life do you think needs work? How can you improve this part of you?