Superheroes

Last night I watched Hancock for the first time. If you haven't seen it, it is yet another superhero movie with Will Smith and Charlize Theron. As the hero theme unfolded, I found it seriously motivating yet somehow disheartening. I think we all want to be heroes - we want to be the person who went above and beyond who made a different and whose efforts were recognized and appreciated. Straight up, we all want to be a badass...but at the end of the movie, HOW do we get to be the kind of badass we dream about?

I have been giving this a lot of thought because I think I struggle with this constantly. I have a tendency to surround myself with people who are extraordinary in the things they do. I married a special ops guy from West Point, my friends have masters degrees and PhD's in all kinds of engineering  - working on stuff they can't even tell me about, others are Olympic Trials qualifiers, former professional and collegiate athletes, and others are quite literally some of the best performers or givers in their industries, communities, churches, and relationships. Everyone excels. So what is that thing inside of me that makes me look at someone and deem them a hero - and what is that thing inside of me that would make me feel that way about myself?

If you have ideas, I'd love to hear them. I don't think many of us perceive ourselves correctly or in the same light that others see us - whether good or bad. What makes a hero? How do we get there on a personal level? How do we make ourselves feel like we've accomplished the impossible? My only guess is achieving a goal, and then the next... doing what we could not do before. I think I dream too much of being better than I am that I forget to celebrate and refine the me that's in this moment.

And on that note, you should watch this (it's less than two minutes long):

http://www.youtube.com/embed/S8qyrPErF9Q