Maya Angelou said, “I think a hero is anyone who has the intention of making this a better world for all people.” Have you ever searched for heroin quotes? The paucity of examples is absolutely infuriating. Of the few samples we find the cinematographic reality of the detectives, the wonder woman and then we have the realistic Harriet Beecher Stowe “To be really great in the little things, to be really noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life”. , is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization”.

Aren’t women heroines? What is the name of a Mother who nurses a sick child back to health? Isn’t she a hero in the eyes of that child? What do you call a woman who follows her passion in the face of war, like Rachel Corrie? Isn’t she a hero? What do you call a woman who is clearly different, diagnosed as autistic, but she goes on with her life creating beautiful and moving art? Isn’t she a hero? How do we define and synthesize being a woman and a heroine? Are they the only examples in history, in movies or in martyrs?

When I go back to the heroines of the fables that I love: the sister who sews the seven swans, or the girl who confronts Baba Yaga. Each has little hope, and yet still trusts that it will be okay. They endure even when the chances of success seem slim. The seamstress sister is almost burned at the stake for her intransigence. The girl facing Baba Yaga could turn into a deformed chicken at any moment. They are heroes because they kept going, with determination and confidence that they will be okay. A heroine can’t afford to hope, she has to have courage when there is no healthy reason for her to have courage. A heroine has to firmly tie the rope to the tree trunk before hanging over the edge to rescue someone. You have to trust that it makes those knots work, not expect them to work. We are heroes in our own history. We are here for a greater purpose than the one we have experienced so far. We have a higher purpose, and the first step is to listen to our intuition, our instincts, and anything that says “yes!”

What are the steps to awaken our inner heroine? Everyone has their own path and their own inner guide that will guide them. When we wake up, we can ask our higher power, our soul or Great Spirit, “What is your will for me?” We will receive an answer if we are willing to listen. The answers come through synchronicities, people (acting like angels), signs, symbols and songs on the radio, or animals that cross our path. The next correct step will come if we are willing to listen and wait for the guidance that is already there. And with each step more will be revealed as we are ready to take it in. Perhaps going to your child’s parent-teacher talk when you feel like “it’s a bad hair day” is today’s version of being a hero? When we put our children, lovers or friends first, before our own insecurities, that is a heroic act. Perhaps releasing the limited vision of who we think we are and acting from our authentic selves is an act of heroism?

When I stop having to be perfect and get the help I need, hiring a writing coach, working with a therapist, or saying no when I want someone to like me is a heroic act for me. When I break my long held belief that I am self-sufficient and realize that self-sufficiency to the extreme means isolation, and I choose to reach out for support, that is a heroic act for me. When I share my vulnerabilities and realize that I am not alone in feeling this way, it is a heroic act for me. I am a reluctant hero. I prefer to be comfortable and do only the things in life that are of my preference. Still, the urge to dig deeper, to do the things that scare me, to get out there and share my truth in whatever way is open drives me. Maybe that’s not heroic, maybe it’s just being an ordinary strong woman.

We need more heroines to evolve this world, to heal this planet. At a minimum, we need more quotes about heroines to pass on to our daughters, sisters, and granddaughters.

This week’s exercise is to look at the everyday acts you do and see them through someone else’s eyes.

1. Be forgiving and open-minded with yourself. What could you see that is heroic?

2. What are the challenges you take on and achieve? Are you a hero to yourself?

3. What do you do with courage, even if it seems impossible?

4. How are you an everyday heroine?