Your Neighbor Might Be a Hero.

When I was a young boy I was a huge fan of anything Superman, Star Wars and Top Gun related. Something about "heroes" fascinated me, I guess.  20 years later I still have a fascination with incredible people, heroic acts and monumental accomplishments.  I admire people that push themselves far beyond their comfort zones; ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

In a simple google search you can easily find traits of a hero: Dedication, Conviction, Selflessness, Courage, Loyalty, Etc...

Our media typically labels firefighters, military personnel and police officers as heroes--I wouldn't disagree. But, don't you think it is possible for anyone to be a hero?  Running into a burning building is courageous, but so is raising children. I think it is important that our (my) perception of what makes a hero isn't limited by what media tell(s) us.  There are millions of people that carry out heroic acts every day that go unnoticed.

The Bigger Picture is this: As a society it is important that we alter our perception of heroes and heroism beyond what we see on television or in the news...A hero doesn't have to be marketable or profitable.  Risking your life isn't a prerequisite either. Ironically, when you google "Heroes" the #1 link is for the popular tv show with the same title...

My Dad and I had a discussion about a year ago about "being heroic."  His claim was that anyone can be a hero and it is something you can work to become. After listening to his opinion I tore his head off and vehemently disagreed.  Sorry, Dad. It took me a year, but I agree with you now.  --This is a common theme in my life:  Dad almost always ends up being right, but that's an entirely different blog post.

Check this link out: Hero Awards
More irony:  The host of the show is Dean Cain (former "Superman" tv actor). Oh well, separating the idea of heroism from fictional heroic characters might not be feasible...good link, nonetheless.

We can all be heroes. We all have the capability.



--Schmidty

Give It Time

Whoa. What a difference a couple of days can make.  It was almost 60 degrees in CoMo yesterday (that's Columbia, MO).  I had a great morning swim workout and an awesome afternoon ride with a grad school buddy.  Downtown is almost "electric" this morning--KU is in town, the sun is out and tomorrow is supposed to be nice too!

A week ago my positive attitude was severely waning and I was beginning to wonder what the hell I was doing in Missouri...The lesson here is that allowing a little bit of time to pass can make all the difference. Sometimes there is nothing you can do but be patient and wait for things to change on their own.  I'm a bit of a control-freak, so this idea doesn't sit very well with me.

In one of my courses we are learning how successful organizations design their internal structure--the  common trend among them is the ability to readily adapt to change--they're flexible and exhibit a "bend but don't break" mentality.  The idea sounds simple, but implementation is more difficult because the process is perpetual.

Life is all about "Ups" and "Downs," right?  Adapting to the good times is easy!  And, like good organizations we can all overcome the difficult times in our lives by first expecting challenges to happen and second, being patient and allowing a little bit of time for things to change.

By now you can probably tell that I analyze life entirely too much.  I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.  But, I do know this:  Today is going to be a great day.  That's all that really matters.

I hope yours is the same.






--Schmidty

I Could Use Your Help.

I'm fortunate to have traveled quite a bit and have worked in a job that has allowed me to experience some exciting, albeit dangerous things.

I spent four years in the United States Coast Guard. Three of those were spent in Clearwater, FL where I worked as a Helicopter Rescue Swimmer--I always thought I would be an Olympic Swimmer growing up but I ended up jumping out of helicopters and chasing drug smugglers instead.

Currently, I'm in graduate school in Missouri--how the hell did that happen?  Not sure. Well, that's not exactly true, but the story is too long and too boring to tell.

Lately, I have been dealing with "excitement" withdrawal. It has been miserably cold, the ocean and mountains are about a million miles from here and school hasn't been that intriguing either.  Ugh.  The silver-lining in all of this is that I live in a relatively stress-free world.  When I start to feel a bout of negativity coming on I consider what life must be like for our troops around the world. The fact that my life is uneventful is something they would probably suggest I don't take for granted.

So, I'm fortunate. But I'm still bored.

I don't receive many comments on my blog posts, but if you read this and have any suggestions/tips on how to add excitement to one's life, I would like to hear them!

This May I turn 31.  To me, life is all about perspective.  I want to learn as much about the world as I can through travels, reading, music, conversation, etc...I find "discovery" exciting. Time, when I am exploring, stands still.

What I am ultimately getting at is that I need a new adventure.  This will provide excitement and motivation.  There is so much out there to discover, but I could use a little bit of advice on which routes to research.

Thank-you.



--Schmidty