I was standing at my kitchen sink the other day and the thought came to mind. I was thinking about heroes and champions. What's the difference between the two. They’re both good. They're both admirable. To be either one on a given day would be remarkable. They both receive accolades, they're both memorable but what goes into them very vastly.
You see the preparation are very different. You cannot prepare to be a hero. A hero becomes a hero at an unforeseen opportune moment. Heroes are at the right place at the right time and are willing to take actions that their surrounding counterparts are not willing to take. They show a sense of bravery, courage and lack of fear. Heroes step up in the face of tragedy when no one else is willing to. Unless you are Spiderman, Black Panther, Wonder Woman or any other marvel character, your chance at being a hero is slim to none. Only marvel characters get to live out the fantasy of being the hero day in and out. We humans are not so lucky. It's unlikely that you'll be called a hero on the broad scale of local to national fame. Outside of hearing “that's my hero” for whatever reason close family and friends hold you to that esteem, most of us will not have that on our resume (which is perfectly fine.)
Now a champion is different. Maybe you’ve heard the saying “A champion is not born, a champion is made.” What does that mean? It's exactly that. You have to work to become a champion. There is no great athlete who became a champion without putting in the work. It starts with the mindset of knowing you're a champion and understanding champion behavior. Champions know the road of a champions is tough but they're willing to face the difficulty and find multiple ways to overcome them. They know that days are long. They know they have to put their bodies through strenuous work. They know that even though they do this they're going to be days where they fail but they understand that this failure is an opportunity to learn how to improve. So, champions are willing to fail again and again so that they can become wiser and stronger because they know that they are champions. Long before the victory has come, before the confetti falls, or the championship ring is on that hand, they are well aware of who they are and the work that they do is to position themselves for the day that they'll be called champion. Oftentimes no one sees the champion until the results come. Champions understand that the work brings the results and that the results take time. With all the confidence in the possibility of what can be, they work hard, rinse and repeat until the world recognizes them as who they are, CHAMPIONS.
There is courage and a selflessness that a hero embodies. Resilience and grit are needed to be a champion. So, now to you entrepreneur, do you show up when opportunity occasionally presents itself or if someone inquires about the thing you were doing? Do you work continually with a focused patience because you know the results will come? Are you the hero or champion of your business? Having the determination of a champion is all you need to succeed. From this point on, behave like a champion!