Many people (particularly children) want to be heroes with superpowers. They see themselves in capes and tights fighting for what they believe, and to bring about change. In truth, a hero is anyone who wants to live in a better world and decides to do something about it.
It’s because a superpower is the special gift that each one of us has hiding inside. We just have to discover what that is and put it to use.
Countless people have found their purpose in life through books. They have been inspired by something they’ve read that triggers a dormant dream of their own.
She read Swallows and Amazons and dreamed of owning her own boat. She saved and saved, and later sailed alone around the world.
Joanne Liu read a story about Doctors Without Borders which inspired her to reach for high ideals and found medicine her life’s calling.
Ordinary people have done extraordinary things that others would class as heroic, but that they would see as having pushed through barriers of doubt, to become what they truly are.
Dreams change as a person grows. In childhood and youth, the dream may have been something totally different which changed with time. To recognise your real dream, you must find the things that interest and excite you.
Make a list. Find the skill that is the difference that makes you an asset to the world.
Helping others gives equal satisfaction to the one helping as to the one being helped. Look for those who can be helped by something that you are capable of offering.
Choi Doe was a martial arts student travelling in Singapore, when he came across an elderly lady on a bus with no shoes. He took off his sandals and put them on her feet. This random act of kindness is the response of a superhero.
Who does that sort of thing, you may ask? Many people live by a code of kindness.
Not All Heroes Wear Capes: 10 Things We Can Learn from Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things, shows how you can reach your true potential by finding what you are good at and using it. Dare to imagine! Dream big! Ask yourself, what if?
Ben Brooks is the author of Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different which was the winner of the Children’s Book of the Year at the National Book Awards, and many other titles. His books inspire and encourage children to find their hidden skills and put them to use to realize their dreams, and make the world a better place through change.
Title: Not All Heroes Wear Capes
Author: Ben Brooks
Illustrator: Nigel Baines
Publisher: Hachette, $ 19.99
Publication Date: 30 March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781526362896
For ages: 10+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction