My Overlooked Hero Exercise

When I was 15 years old, I had a very important person in my life come to me and say “who’s your hero?” And I said, “I don’t know, I gotta think about that. Give me a couple of weeks.” I come back two weeks later, this person comes up and says “who’s your hero?” I said, “I thought about it. You know who it is? It’s me in 10 years.” So I turned 25. Ten years later, that same person comes to me and says, “So, are you a hero?” And I was like, “not even close. No, no, no.” She said, “Why?” I said, “Because my hero’s me at 35.” So you see every day, every week, every month and every year of my life, my hero is always 10 years away. I’m never gonna be my hero. I’m not gonna attain that. I know I’m not, and that’s just fine with me because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.
– Matthew McConaughey

Exercise: 

Write down your age today.
Write down your age a decade ago.
Write down your age a decade from now.
Spend time with yourself from a decade ago. Enter emotionally into where he was and how he was doing.

1. What would your self of a decade ago have envisioned as a hero for yourself today?

2. How does your self of today compare to that man your younger self envisioned? 

3. Now consider yourself a decade from now. For him to be one of your great heroes, what would he be like? Get specific.

Summer Reading  – Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey (audiobook recommended)

Summer Worship – “To You” by Maverick City Music

“Life is won inch by inch. In any fight it’s the guys who’re willing to die that’ll win that inch.”
– Al Pacino