I’m Questioning My Choice of Hero
I recently saw a video that has left me pondering something…
During the 2014 Oscar Awards, Matthew McConaughey was honored with the award for best actor for his work in Dallas Buyer’s Club. (For the record, I have not seen that film or even know what it’s about. I have, however, seen his work in other films and he strikes me as a pretty good dude.)
During his acceptance speech, he thanked God, his parents and family, and his co-workers. But it was his take on his personal hero that left me thinking…
Matthew said that at the age of 15, when asked who his hero was, he answered that it was himself 10 years from now. When asked again at 25, he replied the same thing. He expressed how he is always looking up to a better version of himself.
This blew me away!
Most people, me included, have always looked up to someone else as our hero. But hearing Matthew’s take on who his hero is has made me consider whether we too should be looking up to better versions of ourselves as our heroes instead of someone else.
I may need more time to process that a little more….
Thoughts? Leave me a comment below…
Here’s the video in case you haven’t seen it yet:
It’s funny, my first interpretation of this speech was that he was coming off as a little arrogant, I mean, is there no one else in his life that inspires him? On second interpretation, I thought perhaps he might be on to something, in the sense that comparing ourselves to others can often be a problem, especially when we compare ourselves negatively to others. If we only compare ourselves to our future or past selves, it’s more of an accurate yardstick. Are we always growing? Are we striving to be better? I wonder if there’s a balance between this sort of self/other comparison or inspiration or if he’s really hooked into the secret of a more satisfied life?