Momentary Heroes

There are people we come across in our lives that are so extraordinary, so connected, so put together, or just so cool that we can’t help but be impressed. If you had to trade places with someone in your universe tomorrow, who would it be? That’s what I call your momentary hero.

These momentary heroes can often cause jealousy but I prefer to channel this into a declaration that “this person is my momentary hero” and use them as a model to study for myself. What exactly do I like about them? The things they’ve accomplished? People they know? Their organization or intelligence? The way they carry themselves socially? What can I learn and take away and implement myself?

I’ve had many of these people throughout my life. The soccer star and popular kid in high school, the big student leaders on campus, startup founders and venture-backed CEOs, large company executives and many others. The “momentary” part of the title recognizes that we are all humans and sooner or later, if you are close enough to your momentary hero, they will make a mistake or do something you wouldn’t want to emulate.  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be on the lookout for these personal heroes and exercise the self-awareness to take their best attributes for yourself.