The One Question You Must Ask Yourself As The New Decade Begins

If you want to be pedantic, decades begin in years ending in one. But in nine short days, we are going to turn over the odometer and begin the 2020s, and there’s one question you need to ask to make the next ten years as worthwhile and fulfilling as they can be, for yourself, for those in your immediate world, and for all of us, really.

Credit to this question goes to my coach at Strategic Coach, the amazing Lee Brower, who has a sensitivity for human nature, and a knack for finding the right question to ask.

Here goes:

Who would you have to be 10 years from now so that that person can be your hero today?

I’ll ask it again because it’s so important:

Who would you have to be 10 years from now so that that person can be your hero today?

It’s an intriguing question because it makes us stop and ask some key points along with way.

First, who are our heroes today? What behavior do we consider heroic? What’s the difference between being heroic and merely being successful?

What traits can we overlook in a hero, or in ourselves, and still consider that person a role model?

What aspect of life requires heroism?

How do you rise to the occasion?

God willing, we will all be here 10 years from now, to analyze the results.

But be asking this question, we have the option of not just being 10 years older but being 10 years better.

So, let me ask you. Who are your heroes? And why shouldn’t you be a hero, not just to others, but to yourself? Make that, especially to yourself?

As some of you know, I run the Boston marathon most years. This April will be my 9th run since 2005.

When I get to the finish line, I always think three thoughts.

One is that I know I inspired a lot of people along the way with my grey hair flowing gently in the wind. Second is I always think I should have trained better. And third, I remind myself that when all is said and done, in addition to inspiring others, I inspire me.

You might think that sounds silly or self-serving. But the reality is if we don’t inspire ourselves, to be more, to do more, to appreciate more, to love more, how on God’s green earth can we inspire anyone around us?

So, consider this message an invitation for you to think about how you want to inspire yourself over the next 120 months. And to put the question to you again, in case I’ve fulminated so much that you’ve forgotten it, it’s this: Who do you have to be 10 years from now so that the person you are 10 years from now is a hero to who you are today?

The implication of Lee Brower’s question is that anyone can be a hero. It’s not just about being a military leader, or a business leader, or even a leader at all.

You can be a hero without having any followers.

I suppose.

But to come back to the main question: Who do you need to be 10 years from now so that that person can be a hero to you today?

You don’t necessarily have to become that person overnight.

You just have to have something to shoot for.

And if you care to share your results with me, and if you allow me to do so, I will share it, with or without your name, as you dictate.

And if you take this challenge, you are already my hero.

Happy Holidays, and happy pondering.