August 06, 2024 - Read Online​

Anyone on the pathway to becoming better can think of someone who does what they would like to do.

I have friends that workout daily. I would like to be that consistent.

I have colleagues that are very organized and disciplined. They are productive day after day after day. Meanwhile, for me, it is a struggle to stay focused and motivated (even on things I enjoy). I want to be as predictable and productive as them.

I see the playfulness of my children and their ability to live in the moment with ease. I want to be as present as they are.

I follow the impactful work of authors, speakers and creators. I want to contribute to the world like they do.

Whether we'd admit it or not, we all have heroes. We all have people we admire because of their habits and successes. This is a good thing. A keystone of healthy self-leadership is choosing your heroes well.

But there is a danger in having heroes. There is a risk in admiring another as we try to get better. If we aren't careful we will start trying to look like our heroes.

It is easy to begin to lose our autonomy as we follow another. In our minds a hero we look up to can become a guru who can do no wrong. And there are countless examples of guru worship leading to disastrous results.

This is true even if we are trying to copy someone else's success. It does no good to become a copy of someone we admire.

This is why the Austin Kleon quote from up top is so important.

"You don't want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes."

If we start wondering "how does the person I admire see the world?" we will gain more insight than if we try to copy their external success or their look. We can be ourselves as we grow, rather than trying to make ourselves into something we are not.

Try putting the perspectives of your heroes through the unique filter that is you. When you do this, you will be able to contribute something new and beautiful to the world.

When you start to see like your heroes, you gain the ability to make something your heroes could never, ever make. Because only you see the world through your eyes.

Another Austin Kleon quote that applies here:

"The human hand is incapable of making a perfect copy."

So try and see what your heroes see rather than look how your heroes look.

Then your work will add something new and good to the world. And the world needs the good that your new work brings.

-Dave

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