This has been a special night when I’ve watched Jessica Ennis achieve her Olympic Gold Medal finally at the London Olympics sitting at home on my sofa with my kids. She sat at home on her sofa too 4 years ago watching others achieve their dreams at Bejiing while she was injured. This is a night of celebration and we all shared in it and were proud to be British.
The Olympic values of
- friendship
- respect
- excellence
- determination
- courage
- equality
- inspiration
can help all of us live as best we can, achieving our personal ambitions and dreams.
I’d like to encourage you to keep going in whatever dream or goal you have set for yourself because it’s not all about glory but personal achievement.
Whether you are a single mum, a single dad, a grandma or a person who has been cheated on, disappointed or let down by others it ‘s about fighting back, staying focused and getting back up – these are the characteristics that all superheroes share:
I go into many schools teaching children the mindset of success and here are some thoughts to ponder….
Super heroes
Some people idolise footballers, athletes, film stars or business dragons and I actually think that it matters who you choose to be your hero because it says a lot about you.
After all your heroes and heroines are the figures and people we wish to become or wish to emulate.
They are the people we secretly admire in our quiet moments of pondering and daydreaming.
They represent our potential and our unlimited possibilities.
Here are the qualities of a hero… or heroine and here is an article I wrote awhile ago on
Heroes, Role Models and David Beckham – being a super hero to your kids.
H is for honourable – the ability to stick to a self imposed moral code – a code that commits them to do the right thing regardless of personal sacrifice.
E is for extraordinary. Heroes aren’t afraid to stand out. In fact they stand up for what’s right when others keep quiet, they work longer, harder or are more focused than others, or they wear red nail varnish and have two toned hair as they are not frightened to be themselves and commit to making the world a better place.
R is for relentless. Being a superhero takes dedication. Heroes are constantly training, constantly striving to improve, to be the best they can be or learn new things.
O is for outspoken. Being heroic is about speaking up for what you believe in and not just going with the flow when you know the flow is flowing in the wrong direction.
I is for inspirational. Heroes do more than simply turn up. They lead, they believe in others and they see the best in others and they inspire them so that others can believe and achieve for themselves.
C is for courageous. Heroes have the courage to keep going when others would have fallen by the wayside long ago, they have courage to smile when it’s seems the darkest, they are different and they are brave for having a go and overcoming fear and they triumph eventually over tough times.
Oriah Mountain Dreamer wrote a poem about courage and bravery and it’s not all about climbing Kilimanjaro or winning a gold medal.
“It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.”
~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It’s about getting up in the night for the 8th time to soothe your troubled baby, or ironing a shirt or a skirt at 5.30 in the morning for another, or giving a Toffee Crisp chocolate bar to your young son at university with a smile, as you pay his last demand bill because he hasn’t got enough money to pay it.
That’s being a hero.
That’s making a difference.
Today believe in better and walk towards your personal Gold – I know I have made that committment to make sure my next 4 years see me rise up stronger, wiser and more empowered to make a difference in the world regardless of where I am now and what has happened to me.
Turn up David Bowie and enjoy !