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 Everyday Heroes
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I must have seen it a dozen times over the last few years on TV commercials and during interviews. Some wealthy sports celebrity or pop music star crosses their arms and responds to their critics with that latest of media cliches: “I am not a role model.” Every time I hear it, I have to shake my head. Are you telling me that you don’t want to be a hero to all of those people who look up to you? Are you saying you don’t want to use your influence to make the world a better place for our children and us? I look at these angry, pouting media darlings who have been given so much, and who have so much to give, and I have to think, “You, my sad friend, don’t know what you are missing.”
None-the-less, the super-stars have spoken: we cannot look to them to be our heroes. They have washed their hands of us when it comes to our need for people who set an example of courage and self-sacrifice. And maybe that is just as well. Perhaps it is better that our culture’s ever growing roster of media elite are not our heroes. Perhaps what we need are more champions who live every-day lives, far away from the spotlight. Perhaps we need You to be an Everyday Hero.
Take good, honest look around you and you will see that, already, many people have answered the call to be heroic. Not many of them get the accolades they deserve, probably because they are so easy to over-look. We tend not to see our family members as heroes, or our friends, and especially not some anonymous stranger out on the street. We take the true heroes for granted, while at the same time we get exasperated when basketball stars don’t live up to our expectations. I think it’s time to reverse this trend. Lets stop looking to the rich and famous to stand up for us. Let us instead honor those among us who are standing up for us already. Or, better still, lets each of us strive to be heroes in our own right.
You could say that I am a big booster when it comes to heroism. As a motivational speaker I’ll strongly recommend it to an audience when ever and where ever I can. I’ll tell them, never walk away from an opportunity to be a hero. For that matter, I soundly advise my listeners to seek out new and ingenious ways to be heroic! It’s no that difficult to do. You just have to follow the need. By this I mean keep and eye out for where there is neediness in your community. Is there someone or some organization that’s looking for help that you could provide? Of course there is. There are dozens of worthy groups who require your help right now. If you truly want to make a difference, then the need will make itself aware to you. Over the years, several meaningful causes have made themselves aware to me and I have chosen to support a number of different organizations with both my time and money. They are listed on my web-site. Check them out and you will learn a little bit about me. The causes I support speak about the things I care about and the kind of need to which I instinctively respond. What sort of need triggers your response? Go with what moves you in your heart and I promise you that you will feel great.
Let me repeat that. Go with what moves you in your heart and I promise you that you will feel great. You see, everyday heroes know something that other people don’t. They understand the power of giving. Giving always finds it way back to giver in multiple times the portion given. Wise men and mystical teachers have been trying to tell us this for centuries: give and you will be given back many-fold. The only trick is that you must give without looking for a return. Give, but give selflessly. Then, good things will come back to you. Even the sense of personal pleasure and self-worth one can feel from giving of your time to a worthwhile cause is phenomenal. Seeing the difference you make is incredibly inspiring. In fact it can be addictive. You may find it more rewarding then going to work!
Of course, giving of your time is not always convenient. I find that many people are far more willing to give money to a worthy cause that to give of their time. When you think about it, the most important thing that any person can give of himself or herself is their time. Time is the most valuable, non-renewable resource that a person has at their disposal. Keep this in mind whenever a person gives up their time to you. It is a gift that needs to be treasured more then money or material things. Time is irreplaceable, you can not get it back, you can not make more of it. Once it is used it is gone. And if you give of your time, selflessly and generously, you are being heroic indeed.
The everyday heroes all around us are the true role models in our society. They display all the qualities that make a civilization strong and healthy. They believe in integrity, they see the value in working with others, they give back to their community, and they support others to move ahead. They are not necessarily rich and certainly don’t need to be famous. They don’t necessarily subscribe to one particular political philosophy, and they don’t need to be stronger or smarter than everyone else. They just need to care. Sometimes they care so much that they will risk their life for what they believe in. Often, they leave us feeling humble when we consider the depth of their personal sacrifice. Sometimes we remember to honor them, sometime we do not. But perhaps the greatest honor that any hero can receive is to see that others have taken his or her example to heart. Perhaps it is time for all of us to reach inside ourselves and find the hero within, out of respect to those other heroes who have gone before. Your efforts as an everyday hero today are bound to make the world a better place tomorrow.
Michael McGauley- The Dream Builder |
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