Heroes

I have been accused by many, probably rightfully so, of being stuck in the past. Often times, its not even my own past that I'm stuck in, but a past that existed much before my own. I wonder if it can be called being 'anachronistic' if I'm obsessing over things that are bygones from when I wasn't even an idea in yet? This is particular true when thinking about the people I look up to.

When I look back at the heroes I've had, or at least the people I became obsessed with the lives of, it quickly becomes apparent that my head was never connected to the 'now' but the 'then'. These include, but are not limited to : Marilyn Monroe, Baron Manfred Von Richtofen, Bob Dylan, Abraham Lincoln, and let's not forget, Clark Gable.

That's quite a gamut of people and a very motley combination. Yeah...I'm a strange person. And yet, my fascination with the lives of people from all over time has helped me many times. Often while teaching at Erican Language Centre, I find myself making use of the knowledge I have gained, and even more often, quotes from famous people. One time I did a series of famous historical radio broadcasts for a listening activity. The students were completely floored to realize they had been listening to broadcasts that signaled turning points in history. You can't buy these moments with money, folks.

I once read that if you want to become better, pick out the qualities of people you admire and try to take them on yourself. Make a list of your 'heroes' and isolate their 'positive qualities'. I would like to do that now. Using, for my example, the people I mentioned earlier.

Marilyn Monroe - Grace, Pose, Rising above the odds

Baron Manfred Von Richtofen - honorable conduct, commitment, respect for one's country, bravery

Bob Dylan - Strength to change, bravery to do 'what is right' without questioning whether others will accept or not, creativity, intelligence, pioneering

Abraham Lincoln - charismatic, guts to take on a hard job in a hard time, bravery to do 'what is right' without questioning whether others will accept or not

Clark Gable - handsome, charismatic, smart, great performer

What a list. Now, according to the previous advice, if you admire these traits, assign them to yourself. Take them on and become part of what you admire. If you like someone because they are brave, become brave yourself.

Do the traits above all describe me? Not yet...I wish they did. I want them to describe me...and yet I'm not there yet. I try everyday to add something of one of these traits to my persona, but it doesn't always stick. Someday I might just succeed.

Now, does that mean that all the people I look up are dead and gone (except Dylan of course)? Not necessarily. I continue to find traits of many people today that I admire.

For today's discussion though, I'd like to take this in a new direction. And I want you all to try something. Take a list of your friends or coworkers... Just a list of five people you see quite often, and find a trait or two you like about them. This isn't about quantifying or justifying your friendship or trust, but rather about seeing the positives in those around you, and perhaps understanding which things matter most to you. It's actually more self-analytical than you may think.

Let me try:

• Lynne McGready - Courage to say what she wants when she wants, able to talk to anyone at any time, very humorous, great advisor
  
  
• Eric Chong - Perseverance when people tell you 'its useless', clinging to certain values no matter what, great talker and motivator
  
  
• Macxell Lim - non-conformist, creative, fashionable, eternally optimistic
  
  
• Poh Tun Kai - friendly, knowledgeable, family loyalty, highly expressive and a great Editor
  
  
• Ivan Tam - dependable, stable, very smart and a wicked sense of humour
  
  
• Guy and Terry Larke - Pretty much all of the above
  

Well..that's my list, and much like the famous people, other people may have different opinions. However, I'd love to see your lists. Feel free to share your list about others and let us see how you value others. It's a great positive thing and it'll help you more than you'll know.

That finishes off this little expose on heroes and how we can use them to improve ourselves. But, I would like to end my discussion with a small word of caution (playing Devil's advocate) about becoming TOO obsessed with 'becoming' your hero, this time with a quote from Kurt Cobain.

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are."

Remember, look up to those around you - to those who inspire you. But don't forget to be yourself. For that is who you are meant to be. Be true to yourself - because remember, no matter what happens during the day and night, you'll always have to wake up with yourself in the morning.

Keep on rockin'.

Dougie.