We need hero/heroine stories to nourish and inspire us. Our need is wholeness. We especially need to recognise the hero/heroine storyline in our own lives.
OUR SOUTH AFRICAN HEROES
Dricus du Plessis. Sia Kolisi. Pretty Yende. Elon Musk. The 2023 World Springbok world cup winners. The everyday heroes around us. The experience of success, driven by passion and commitment, is so important to inspire and uplift us!
“No examination of leadership in this Rugby World Cup campaign would be complete without including that of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi,” writes Tim Cohen in Daily Maverick. He explains why he holds Kolisi in such high esteem.
Cohen writes about Kolisi’s leadership qualities which exhibits true empathy. Los of pleaders, or people in leadership positions, get praised but they are often cruel and mean in their positions. In Kolisi, Cohen says, we see the opposite. It is refreshing to see in him the value of empathy and kindness.
“Perhaps there is a role for hard-headedness in business and a different kind of role for empathy in team sports. Leadership, as I was trying to point out, is a varied thing, and often situational.”
The second important point is that the Springboks played for more than personal glory. In particular they did it for a whole country.
“In the same post-match interview, Kolisi managed, in the space of less than two minutes, to explain what the win meant for South Africans and South Africa now, in its rather battered state:
‘Our country goes through such a lot. We are bearing that hope…’
Children of the developing world working together to make things possible, on the field or in the office, it shows what we can do, etc. It was all there. He just seemed born for that moment: proud and humble. Hard to pull off if it is not genuine.”
MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD
Australian author Bryce Courtenay a long time ago wrote a book called The Power of One, which was essentially a coming-of-age story about a misfit South African boxer. But the underlying question was whether one person can really make a difference. What do you, as a reader think? Can one person make a difference?
The Power of One is a novel by Australian author Bryce Courtenay first published in 1989. “Set in South Africa during the 1930s and 1940s, it tells the story of an English boy, who through the course of the story, acquires the name of Peekay. The author identifies ‘Peekay’ as a reference to his earlier nickname ‘Piskop’: Afrikaans for ‘Pisshead.’) It is written from the first-person perspective, with Peekay narrating (as an adult, looking back) and trusting the reader with his thoughts and feelings, as opposed to a detailed description of places and account of actions.”
HOW CAN WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH OUR LIFE STORIES?
Just like Siya, like Peekay, like Ricus du Plessis, you have your personal dreams and struggles. Committing to put it on paper is the first step in making a difference. A hero/heroine is, first and foremost, not born, but made. You are the creation of your choices, actions, and reactions. You are the product of your resilience, your defiance in the face of obstacles. And that is what the world needs because stories tell us how to overcome the insurmountable.
OUR HERO/HEROINE STORY TO NOURISH AND INSPIRE
In previous blogs we have covered a great many tips and starting points. Daily journaling is the perfect introduction to committing pen to paper. If you have a hero/heroine story you want to share with the world, contact me, as an author coach, to guide you with the writing process!