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How to Be Your Own Hero Don't wait for someone to save you; save yourself.

By Lewis Howes Edited by Dan Bova

This story originally appeared on Lewis Howes

MeSamong | Shutterstock

"The hero's journey can take place on a battlefield or in a cubicle. We can live it out amid public clamor or in the soundless vault between our ears. The demons we are dueling are always the same. They are our own fears of becoming who we are. No one who has ever lived—or ever will—has a journey like ours. And yet our journey is universal. It is every woman's and every man's."
–Steven Pressfield

Did you know that you are the hero of your own story?

Living life from behind your eyes, you are the protagonist, and you are the author. Some might say you are the co-author with destiny or with your higher power.

You may have understood this at one point in your life and circumstances got in the way of your ability to see clearly that you can still captain your own ship.

You see, on every hero or heroine's journey, the hero gets lost. The hero nearly dies. The hero wants to give up.

It's an essential part of the journey, in fact.

If you are lucky, you will find your way back quickly, or after a little time.

Some people get lost for so long they forget what it was like to be themselves.

You know the ones–people who once walked in their full power but now sag beneath the weight of their disappointments and losses.

Sometimes the pain in life can seem too much to bear, and there are those among us who suffer harder, maybe even feel deeper.

Pain is inevitable, but suffering–the story we tell ourselves about the pain–is optional.

We are all heroes and heroines –either answering the call of our highest selves or not.

We will most certainly get lost when we don't answer, and we most likely find our purpose when we do. That is just part of the process.

Sam Raimi said, "When we read stories of heroes, we identify with them. We take the journey with them. We see how the obstacles almost overcome them. We see how they grow as human beings or gain qualities or show great qualities of strength and courage and with them, we grow in some small way."

We all have a unique gift that is striving to come alive in us, and that is the call. After the call is answered, then comes the initiation.

The initiation we go through includes the tests, the leaps of faith, the actions we must take to get to the work we are meant to do. This manifests in the shape of anything risky that we wish to gain or accomplish.

If we wish for love and romance, we must take a chance at getting hurt and trust the process of relationship.

If we are starting a business we must take one step at a time towards our vision often with failure after failure coming before success.

During the initiation, you will need to persevere.

When you persevere and you don't give up, you will emerge having grown, stretched, and expanded. You will have found something precious and unique to give to the world.

Being the hero of your own story means stepping back from the overwhelm of any moment and seeing that every journey has ebb and flow, up and down.

Don't wait for someone to save you. Save yourself. Step into your power and become the hero or heroine of your own life.

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Lewis Howes

New York Times Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, Coach

Lewis Howes is a New York Times bestselling author of The School of Greatness and The Mask of Masculinity. He is a lifestyle entrepreneur, high performance business coach and keynote speaker. A former professional football player and two-sport All-American, he is a current USA Men’s National Handball Team athlete. He hosts a top 100 iTunes ranked Apple podcast, The School of Greatness. Howes was recognized by the White House and President Obama as one of the top 100 entrepreneurs in the country under 30. Details magazine called him one of “5 Internet Guru’s that can Make You Rich.”  Howes has been featured on Ellen, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The New York Times, People, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Men’s Health and other major media outlets.

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