Become the Hero of Your Own Story

In the Batman movie series Dark Knight Rising, Bruce Wayne is stuck in the Pit along with the other prisoners. He continuously fails after making three attempts in trying to escape by using a rope to get him out. 

A Blind Prisoner tells him "You do not fear death. You think this makes you strong. It makes you weak." 
Bruce Wayne: "Why?"
Blind Prisoner: "How can you move faster than possible, fight longer than possible without the most powerful impulse of the spirit: the fear of death."
Bruce Wayne: "I do fear death. I fear dying in here, while my city burns, and there's no one there to save it."
Blind Prisoner: "Then make the climb."
Bruce Wayne: "How?"
Blind Prisoner: "As the child did. Without the rope. Then fear will find you again."

As Bruce attempts to traverse the Pit without the use of the rope, the prisoners begin chanting "Deshi Basara," meaning “Rise.” He jumps, makes it, and is able to save his city. 

After watching this movie it got me thinking, "How do the lives of heroes compare to the lives of humanity?" There isn't a difference. Each person has the capacity to become the hero of their own story.

Here are some of the challenges and circumstances heroes almost always experience. 

Heroes have fear just as you read in the example above, but they embrace it and use it to propel them forward. They don’t allow fear to paralyze them, they conquer it.

Heroes are given a mission. The mission entails encountering certain challenges, meeting mentors, fighting epic battles with villains, and most importantly it allows the hero to make a change in people's lives and make improvements in the world (whether its inventing a product, becoming an artist, starting a startup, becoming a parent etc). Heroes set the examples in this world. People aren’t chosen to be heroes. They choose themselves to be heroes. They choose to take the stance in believing in something far greater than their selves and they go after it. 

Heroes get wounded and fall down, but they find a way to pick themselves up and carry on. They plunge into the dark abyss, yet they also find a way to see the light again. They realize the light was there the whole time clouded by darkness and in return darkness turns into their ally. Once they recover and gain their strength, they’re never the same. They’ve experienced a rebirth. They can now show themselves to the world with courage, a heightened sense of inner wisdom, and humility with a new set of eyes and a new perspective. The world needs to hear the lessons that they’ve learned.

Heroes have a solid healthy relationship with themselves. They believe in themselves, and don’t need to rely on the approval and validation of any person outside of them to carry out their mission. They trust their unique gifted super powers in which they've taken the time to discover and develop. They're able to call upon those powers to make their contribution in the world.  

Heroes face villains. The people that display characteristics of villains in your life - they appear as your inner dragons. They test you and push the buttons you need to work on within yourself. Villains show you that you can fight them at their level or rise above and operate from your higher self. They can show up as the test of doubt or betrayal. Through this understanding, the hero takes responsibility for things and he or she doesn’t play the victim to circumstances. 

The world needs more heroes. They need people like you to step up and bring your higher self forward. Becoming the hero of your story is raw, and its real. It is a tale of authenticity, adventure, humility, love, integrity, grief/loss, compassion, courage, failure, triumph, and happiness. 

And I have one ask and challenge for you… to rise and become the hero of your own story.