If you want to feel like a superhero, like the star of your own movie, for the rest of your life, do this:
Learn to keep the promises you make to yourself.
It’s the stuff of all brilliant movies, of all great books, of any good story ever told, written or lived. Think about it.
Indiana Jones: “We’ll find the Holy Grail before the Nazis get it.”
The Alchemist: “I’m going to find my treasure.”
The Hunger Games: “I’m going to win for both of us.”
Ocean’s 12: “We’ll beat the Night Fox and pay back our debt.”
It doesn’t matter whether the story is big or small, long or short, funny or sad. It doesn’t matter how the challenge surfaces and who’s fighting for what. At some point, someone always says to themselves:
“I will do this.”
And then they go out and do it.
- Harry Potter promises to find all the horcruxes, destroy them and kill Voldemort.
- Iron Man promises to find a way out of his cave.
- Gatsby promises to get Daisy back.
- Ted Mosby promises to find the love of his life.
- Aladdin promises to use his third wish to set genie free.
- Sherlock Holmes promises to solve the case.
…and it’s not just fiction either.
- Ev Williams and Medium promise to give writers and creators a new way to succeed.
- Adam D’Angelo and Quora promise to share and grow the world’s knowledge.
- Gary Vaynerchuk promises to buy the New York Jets.
- Philippe Petit promised to walk a wire between the World Trade Center towers.
- Louis Zamperini promised to come back home.
Regardless of whether they achieve their goals or not, we can’t help but respect, admire and look in awe at those, who do everything in their power to keep the promises they made to themselves.
A life dedicated to becoming someone the rest of us can look up to is a life well spent.
Make promises and try your best to keep them. Whatever is going to happen, you can be sure it’ll be a great story to tell.