How To: Become a Real-Life Superhero Pt 1

One of the tag-lines we use here at The Jerd is “Go from geek to real-life superhero.”

I spend what could be considered an inordinate amount of time referring to people undertaking their own personal Heroes Transformation journey (in fact our 8 Laws of the Jerd-Herd are specifically designed to govern this process), but I realize that I have never sat down and defined exactly what this journey actually is.

So sit back, grab a healthy snack and get ready for a long ride!

I am going to break this up into multiple parts, and try to make it as entertaining as possible, so as not to put you to sleep with my ramblings. I hope when we are done with this exercise that you have a much more defined sense of purpose to help guide you to success.

First things first, the most important thing for you to remember is… you are the hero!

What’s the Definition of a Hero?

Before we can assign the title of hero to ourselves, it’s important to grasp exactly what we mean by that. Now, there are a lot of different ways people define exactly what a hero is:

• “The chief (male) character in a book, play, or movie, who is typically identified with good qualities, and with whom the reader is expected to sympathize.” – Oxford Dictionary
• “A hero kills people. People that wish him harm. A hero is part human, part supernatural. A hero is born out of a childhood trauma or out of a disaster and must be avenged.” – Dwight Schrute
• “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell

Now while Joseph Campbell’s definition might seem a little grand for our purposes, that is where my inspiration for the Heroes Transformation comes from (which, along with this series of articles, is deeply rooted in Mr. Campbell’s ‘Heroes Journey’.)

If you aren’t familiar, then definitely check out his book “Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation” because it is fantastic!

“A hero is someone who has made a decision to change his or her life and become even more awesome.” – The Mighty Jerd

How Does Being a Hero Change Things?

As you get ready to embark on your fitness journey (or any journey for that matter, be it a new business venture a bold move to an unfamiliar place… whatever!) it is vital that you change the way you see yourself.

You aren’t some innocent bystander, watching your story unfold from the sideline and you aren’t a side character with a small, and ultimately inconsequential to the main plot, storyline.

No… You are the hero of this tale dammit, and you are going to start acting that way!

When you think about all your favorite stories, the heroes (even the most reluctant ones) all end up having a code of some sort they live by… a way of addressing problems that stand in the way of their goals.

So if you think about your own personal fitness journey from that perspective, how do you plan to do things differently after you don the mantle of the hero?

• How are you going to prioritize your day?
• How are you going to approach your workouts?
• How are you going to deal with the roadblocks and fitness supervillains that will get in your way?

These are all very important questions!

The hero does things differently than the average Joe, and if you’re going to embrace the fact that you are the hero of your own story you need to start acting differently than you have in the past.

That change in attitude can very well mean the difference between success and failure!

Now, of course you can embark on a journey towards better health and fitness without actually embracing this philosophy; that’s completely fine.

But if you want to play this like a sidekick, you can’t expect that this will turn out any differently than any attempts you might’ve made in the past (and a lot of times the side character in a heroic journey gets eaten by a dragon or something. Just sayin’.)

Don’t get lost inside your own life looking outward for heroes. Never forget, you are the hero of your own story!

What Does the Term “Hero” Mean to You?

Even unlikely heroes like Neil from “The Legend of Neil” have a code!

I don’t know about you but one of the main reasons I am attracted to comic books or movies is my admiration of the hero, his ideologies, and the fact I know he will overcome what lies before him.

I see qualities in these characters that I like to think I possess, or wish I possessed, within.

Whether it is Superman‘s noble altruism, Captain Jack Sparrow‘s keen ability to talk his way out of any situation that befalls him, Red Sonja‘s aptitude for kicking ass or Kwai Chang Caine‘s almost inhuman self-discipline.

Your favorite heroes are a spectacular place to start looking for traits or qualities that you want to embody yourself.

I mean, there is probably a reason they are your favorites… right?

There is something about them that calls to you… whether its the fact you see a spark of recognition because you too already hold that quality somewhere inside, or maybe it’s due to admiration because secretly (or even not so secretly… I mean I’m pretty vocal about wanting to be Batman. Don’t judge me!) you wish you were more like them.

So why don’t you just take a minute and list them out?

Just grab a piece of paper and start scribbling. List your favorite heroes (and the trait that defines them to you) from books, movies, comic books, mythology… and most importantly,  from real life!

Now take the top three that appeal to you the most and assign them to yourself.

Write them down and tape them to your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, your computer monitor… wherever you will see them each and every day. Let these be a constant reminder that these are the things that define the real-life superhero you want to become. If you are having a hard time envisioning yourself as the hero, you can even take it one step further.

Turn it into a daily affirmation, a mantra if you will, that you repeat to yourself everyday!

Let’s use me as an example here…

I highly admire Batman‘s unflinching resolve and sense of justice, Theseus‘ courage and determination to never take the easy way out and my grandfather for his tenacity and drive to always do things himself… and if I boiled those down into three words that apply to my fitness journey, they would be:

1. Determined
2. Brave
3. Self-reliant

So for me, that would turn into “I am a determined, brave and self-reliant hero.” I need to believe that.

It needs to resonate within my very soul!

I need to truly believe that no matter how hard I find a workout to be, or how tempted I am by a meal I know is going to sabotage me, that I can put my mission above my desires (be they to quit or satisfy my sweet-tooth) and stand resolute like Batman.

I must embrace the fact that even if I am afraid of failure, or that I might look silly or weak the first few weeks I am in the gym learning how to exercise properly, that the courage that allowed Theseus to face the Minotaur bare-handed will see me through.

Anytime I feel like I am not sure what to do next I will remember that my grandfather, the man who taught himself so many trade and life-skills on his own, would always first try to learn and understand something for himself before just taking someone’s word for it.

Let The Journey Begin!

So now that you have defined what being a hero means to you, let’s go back to Joseph Campbell’s “Monomyth,” or hero’s journey, for a minute.

The first step always begins with our hero-to-be living some sort of mundane existence, usually in a place they don’t want to be (Ex – Luke Skywalker living on his uncle’s moisture farm on Tatooine). They then experience some sort of “Call to Adventure“; this is where destiny summons the hero.

This could be:

• Deciding on their own to accomplish some adventure as Theseus did when he heard about that Minotaur
• By getting sent abroad by an agent of fate like Odysseus was by Poseidon
• A mere blunder or tragedy, a stroke of fate, be it a seemingly benign phenomenon that catches the wandering eye, or an event that transforms the person to their core and leads them down the road less traveled.

So for our purposes your “Call to Adventure” could be anything.

Maybe carrying in the groceries left you out of breath? Perhaps your doctor, or a loved one, pointed out that your life habits are putting you in danger of serious health issues? Perchance you aren’t happy with what you see when you look in the mirror?

Whatever it is that set you on the road to becoming a real-life superhero, you are ready to take the first step.

I want you to firmly believe, deep down in your heart, that the moment you set foot on this path that you became something new. Something better!

I will be right here to show you the way and help you when you need it. Now go forth and be even more awesome than you already are.

Be a hero!

Check out part two of the How To: Become a Real-Life Superhero series right here.

But before you do I want you to let me, and all the other aspiring Jerds out there, know what kind of hero you are going to transform yourself into, so speak up in the comments below!

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the new YouTube channel, follow me on Twitter, and like us on Facebook and Google+!

(Photo #3 credit)

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