Who do you choose to be your heroes?

What do you think about when you hear the word “hero?” Personally, I don’t think of the usual cape-wearing, crime fighting, city-saving hero we all see in the superhero movies that come out, like, twice a month. A hero, in my eyes, is someone you aspire to approximate. I know for a fact that I, personally, cannot have only one hero. There are so many aspects of one’s life that it seems impossible to find a single person that is the epitome of each aspect. There are those you look up to professionally and personally, each of them having countless attributes too.

If you were to randomly ask me who my heroes are, I would probably stutter. But that has nothing to do with my answer, now, does it? I would immediately think of three aspects of my life: career, fashion, and overall lifestyle.

Even in their career, one can have many they look up to, considering the fact that a career is made up of many sub-characteristics such as education, field, or even a specific skill. I know that I aspire to be like many of my classmates professionally. This may seem weird considering the insane amount of successful people in my field, including alumni I can reach, but I don’t see any better motivation for success than seeing my successful and hard-working classmates with their ambition and experience. Studying next to many of my classmates is a constant reminder that I am surrounded by precious potential, and for some, even professional success.

Who says your heroes have to be real? Why can’t they be fictional characters that just embody what you secretly, or not secretly, want to be? If any of my friends are reading this, they know what I am about to say. For fashion, and even in some sense lifestyle, I look up to Ian Fleming’s infamous British spy, James Bond. I know what you are thinking, but watch some of the films first. I can think of very few things that are cooler than toppling syndicates in a fell swoop all while dressed well enough to impress the Queen. Sometimes the best of heroes are the ones you grew up with, fictional or not.

Have more heroes and set more goals for yourself. It’s hard to be motivated to achieve your goals if you don’t even know what they look like.