A Hero Does Not Say "Can't"

Much of what we have been learning this week has been geared toward becoming a leader in our homes, businesses, and so forth. But the lesson that I really needed to learn came from a book that we are reading: "A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey" by Jeff Sandefer and Rev. Robert Sirico. The first chapter in particular (aptly named "The First Step") struck me with a lot of force.

I, as I imagine many of us do, face a daily struggle with a little voice telling me that I cannot make it in life. "Your art is not good enough." "You will never be able to overcome your personal failings." "You have not seen enough of life--you do not know enough." Such are the sayings of the voices of doubt within me.

I have heard of the "tell yourself you can" strategy--the story of "The Little Train Who Could" is a prime example. But to read it in this book was especially encouraging and powerful. This is the quote that really brought it home for me:

"Do we see ourselves as merely passive biological entities that are essentially acted upon from without? Or do we understand that we are beings of august dignity who possess meaning and purpose in this world and within our nature--a sense of calling and vocation?

"If you want to be a hero, you must decide to be a person who acts, rather than a person who says 'I can't.' You can. You can make deliberate choices that will change your life. You can take steps--many small ones, occasionally a big one--toward your chosen goal, your star, your grail."

These words of inspired encouragement are rare, in that I felt them directed so squarely at me. I have been telling myself that "I can't" for so long in my life, that it has limited what I can do. I have been so worried about overexerting myself and being cautious (not necessarily a bad thing, but I think that I could have used a little more encouragement to take risks when I was younger) that I haven't been able to grow like I could have been.

I wish I could recount all that I learned in this chapter, but there were so many things that were inspiring and insightful, that I could not do them justice in a single post. Suffice it to say, your ability to do is not determined by what is in you. What is in you are seeds of divinity and ability that are wholly unique to you.

What determines your ability to do is your willingness to take risks (while of course being wise and prepared in the risks that you take) and your ability to learn from your mistakes, and the mistakes of those who have traveled that road before. Seldom will you make a mistake that ruins your chances of success, as long as you stay true to the divinity within you, and take the higher road when given a choice.

These truths are ones that I am still learning to apply in my life, but I hope that as I continue to open my heart to the possibilities that are before me, I will be able to know and feel the truth of these words firsthand.