Your heroes show who you are

People with tons of interests often struggle to select their optimal life path.

A year ago, I felt I was just a salesman and a washed-up athlete. Sure, I write little essays exploring exciting ideas on the serious business of living (with a pinch of humor), but that’s just a side hobby.

But something felt off about that belief. I spend significant time writing every morning, selling for my day job comes after, and I haven’t been an athlete since college. Yet, I kept introducing myself as a salesman and former athlete at those god forsaken gatherings called networking events.

But nothing was the same after I asked myself one simple question:

“Who are my heroes?”

Hmmm… they’re definitely not fellow salesman. Nor are they professional athletes. Even though I have a tremendous amount of respect for both. After glancing at my bookshelf, I realized all of my heroes are writers. Basically, all you have to do is take a look at my favorite books, and you’ll find my heroes.

The people whose ideas have most influenced me… The people I’d most like to grab a (strong) cup of coffee with… The people I most admire for their creative output are not salesman, and not athletes — they are writers.

So after asking myself that one question, I discovered who I want to be — a writer.

My pyramid of identities got reshuffled. Yes I enjoy selling, and yes I’ll probably continue to play pickup basketball until my knees give out. But really, my main focus and daily priority is writing.

It seems so obvious now that I consider what I do first thing after I roll out of bed. I don’t sell, I don’t play basketball, I write.

How about you? Who are your heroes? Does that help provide some guidance on who you actually want to be?

Photo by Simone Pellegrini on Unsplash