I was just watching Spider-Man on Netflix. A lot of childhood memories came with that movie, but just watching it got me thinking as many things often do. I tried to connect it to my own life and a sense of pride and motivation kicked in. The feeling of being proud of what I've been becoming, and the motivation to keep getting even better because I know I can.
There was one question that hit my mind as soon as the movie ended. I hear a lot of people saying they need a hero in there live's whether it's God, a spouse, or a close friend. How many times do we tell ourselves, "I want to be the hero in people's lives" and not just to one person but to society, regardless of age, religion, or color. The reason I feel proud is I realized everyday I've been becoming that kind of person, and I have loved the relationships and connections I've built because of it.
Everyday, I feel like a hero. I feel like a hero when I work in the Special Ed Department trying to be a role model, friend or sort of a big brother to every student I have the privilege of interacting with. I feel like a hero when I go to whatever sport is going on at the moment by being an example of love, enjoyment of life, hard work, and showing people that if you believe you can do anything, it is possible. The only thing that truly holds us back is our own will and confidence. If I told myself right now, I couldn't get math finished before it's too late, I just built a virtual wall that will hold me back until I tell myself "I can conquer this". Training my own mind to never say I can't do something has made me become a better person each and everyday. Working in Special Ed, while going to college full time, and coaching a sport is a lot to do. I've been able to do it however because I've trained myself to believe I can be great.
I truly feel grateful when I hear words of gratitude from other people. It makes me feel like even more of a hero and that it's not going unrecognized. Just the other day, Grace Walton told me something that made me feel like a hero. I can't remember the exact words but I remember how I felt and it was simply amazing. I love it when I roam through the halls of that high school and everyday at some point I hear someone yelling "COACH T"! I feel loved and respected and when I look back and can truly feel I've earned that, it feels incredible. It at the same time can be a bit humbling because I also realize I'm still just another human who's had his fair share of struggles and it's my duty and gift that because I've overcome so much, that I need to pass that on and hope they can become just as confident and realize anything is possible if they believe they can accomplish whatever goal they have in mind.
I may not be the guy roaming around with a cute girlfriend(though I look forward to that day when I do), or the best grades on campus, but that is OK as long as I'm happy where I'm at and try to get better everyday. I love being there for people. I love going around and feeling like every corner of the city, there is some one there I can rely on but be a reliance toward as well. I like being the big brother in peoples lives. I truly am excited to see where this goes twenty years from now and am still amazed where I'm at today. The possibilities are limitless. I just have to keep making the right choices and have confidence in myself that I am making the right choices. We talk about how there's a ceiling above us that we can only go up so far before we've reached or potential limit, but I've learned through experience that ceiling is all up to you. If you believe you can reach higher, you definitely can. It doesn't matter what any one else thinks. It's all up to you.
I do believe however it is good to hear from other's who love and respect you because it can be a reassuring feeling that you're doing things right and motivation to keep getting better. However if someone says something negative towards me, I'll swat that information away and won't take it deeply because I want to keep getting confident. I'll forgive that person after wards. They occasionally though can make me stronger, if I can try to look at how I can fix that. I won't use it as an insult though. I don't have to use it as a way to degrade my confidence.
So am I a hero? That's up to you guys to decide. Am I proud of what I'm becoming? That for sure is a yes and I'm excited to see what it turns into.
