Values Quotes – Michael Jordan on Heroism

Today’s quote is from Michael Jordan, considered by many as the greatest basketball player of all time.

An insightful quote from Jordan is:

“My heroes are and were my parents. I can’t see having anyone else as my heroes.”

What an awesome thing when we can view our parents as heroes, or when our kids can view us as heroes.  The value of heroism is something all of us can aspire after.

As a differentiating value, Heroism means surpassing the ordinary; impressive; or showing extreme courage. In fact, that sounds like a recipe for good parenting.

It’s interesting that as adults we can look back on our parents and realize what amazing things they did for us. What heroic efforts were sometimes required to get us out of trouble, or to keep us focused so we would have the skills and opportunities that we have today.

But then, as a parent you might not feel much like a hero – right now. You might even feel you’re a terrible parent, compared to what you think you should be.

The problem is we often have unrealistic expectations, thinking we should be like Superman or Wonder Woman. Remember those examples are fictitious! Or maybe we compare ourselves to other “great” parents, or maybe even to our own parents.

But to your kids, YOU are their hero. And whether they say it or not, they look up to you just as Jordan looks up to his parents.

So if you hope to be viewed someday as a hero by your kids, the only thing that matters is to be the best parent you can possibly be today. Doing that is impressive!

 

Today’s value was selected from the “Confidence-Courage” category, based on the e-book Developing Your Differentiating Values.