Who Are Your Heroes’ Heroes?
The late Kobe Bryant still exerts a massive influence on young basketball players today through video footage of his talks and interviews.
Bryant’s focus on mental toughness, continuous improvement, and a relentless work ethic has inspired countless young athletes to dedicate themselves to practice and preparation.
But when asked, Bryant talked openly about how he modeled his own game on the great players who came before him, like Michael Jordan.
Serena Williams is a living legend to countless professional tennis players today. But Williams drew inspiration from her predecessors Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova.
How many writers today have modeled their work on J. R. R. Tolkien? Neil Gaiman, for one.
How many military leaders modeled their approach and style on Alexander the Great? Their numbers count Julius Caesar, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon. Yet Alexander himself modeled his military style on the mythical hero Heracles.
Johannes Brahms, like so many other composers, modeled his approach on Beethoven. Beethoven likely saw himself—at least partly—as a musical Napoleon and Prometheus.
Alexander Hamilton looked to George Washington, who looked to the Roman philosopher Cato.
And on through the generations.
Behind every great current or historical figure often lies an earlier mentor or model (or a rebellion against one). And behind that mentor is yet another who influenced them.
It may not go without saying that these current and historical figures not only had mentors and models, but that they actively thought about, studied, and reflected on the lessons they learned.
Marcus Aurelius, the 2nd-century emperor of Rome, kept a catalog of the people who influenced him, and the lessons learned from each (they form Book 1 of his Meditations). His list included lessons from his family, his teachers and mentors, and historical figures.
From his grandfather Verus, “Character and self control.” From his mother, “her inability not only to do wrong but even to conceive of doing it.” From his adoptive father and empirical predecessor Antoninus Pius, “Compassion. Unwavering adherence to decisions, once he’d reached them. Indifference to superficial honors. Hard work. Persistence.”
Who are your heroes? Write their names down. Actually write them down on paper. Write down what you have learned from them.
Study their lives if they are from history. If they are alive, talk to them and ask them meaningful questions while you still can. How do they handle and respond to adversity? What do they sacrifice for? What commonly held view do they think is wrong or misguided?
Write down the lessons they have taught you and reflect on them. Then share those lessons with others so that the wisdom of your heroes might live on.
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