Episode #114 Be The Hero

We are a culture obsessed with heroes, so it is all the more devastating that heroes are so hard to find. This week, Dr. Michael Brown and activist Anthony King reflect on the shared characteristics of the world’s most courageous individuals.

Show Notes

My hero is my biological mother and the mother that adopted me. Both women are two of the strongest people in the world. I look at their courage, I look at their gentleness, I look at their transparency, and I see heroism.
Anthony King

Three Problems

  • We live in an increasingly hero-less society because so many of those we once considered heroes have let us down.
  • The hero inside each of us will not emerge if we are too concerned with cultural norms or comparison to others.
  • The greatest battles of every hero are anger, anxiety, and self-doubt.

Three Principles

  • The most transformative leaders in our culture are the most transparent, and the strongest individuals are often the gentlest.
  • When it comes to heroism, the posture of our hearts is more important than our popularity.
  • Who we are when nobody is watching is who we really are.

Three Practices

  • Identify the ways that your public persona fails to align with your private reality.
  • When you are tempted to believe, “I could never do that,” replace this self-talk with the question, “What must I do to become the kind of person who could do that?”
  • Commit to becoming the hero that you wish you had.