Are You the Hero of Your Own Story?

Last year, I was traveling with my brother and he said to me that his motto is “You can be the hero of your own story, or the victim of someone else’s story.”  So naturally being the curious coach, as well as the older sister, I probed him further and I asked, “Can you be the hero of someone else’s story?” His response was “No, you can’t be the hero of someone else’s story, you can only be the hero of your own story.”

The conversation ended, but my mind kept going.  I was thinking about all of the people in professions that we deem heroic like first responders, teachers, nurses, and doctors, among others.  If someone saves my life, I’m going to count them as a hero in my story. 

However, as my mind kept going, focusing on this issue, it occurred to me that I don’t think this is what my brother meant by his motto.  I think what he meant (and this is only my interpretation) is that in order to be the hero of your own story, you need to find inspiration inside of yourself to achieve your best self.  Otherwise you are living your life according to someone else’s values and beliefs, thus being the victim of someone else’s story. 

When I settled upon my interpretation of my brother’s motto, it resonated with me about how this is coaching.  The goal of coaching is for the client to tap into and achieve their unlimited potential, thus being the hero of their own story.  The coach only serves to be a mirror for the client.  The coach reflects back to the client what the client says and also offers the client alternate ways of thinking.  The coach allows the client to write their own story.

The questions then become, are you writing your own story?  Are you living your life the way that you want?  Are you truly happy in your life?  Do you love your life?

We only get one shot in this life to live to our highest ability and potential.  We only get one opportunity to give our offerings to humanity.  Once we take our last breath, our window of opportunity is closed forever. 

We are so fortunate to be given a chance at life and so often we compare ourselves to others.  We compete with others.  We are jealous of others.  We want more than what we have instead of being content with what we have.  There is a difference between aspiring to be like someone you value and working toward those goals, and being jealous because someone has what you want, so you don’t work toward any goals.

I believe that being the hero of your own story means that you are working each and every day to create a fulfilling life that you lead with your heart. When you are the hero of your own story, you don’t need to answer to anyone else.  You are comfortable in your own skin and it doesn’t matter to you what anyone else thinks.

Can you write your story to include yourself as the hero?

Will you live a life that makes you happy and is your fullest potential?

If you don’t see yourself as the hero of your story, but you want to be, let’s connect.  I can help.