I was volunteering my time to benefit 911HelpAmerica foundation and found myself standing for two hours next to one of their beneficiaries. He was a young veteran who came back from Iraq with the injuries that might not be obvious to the eye, but you know that they are there, because you can not get blown up by a bomb and walk away unharmed. As we were standing there we shared a small talk, the regular set of questions you get from a stranger. He wasn’t too talkative, but our exchange had a pleasant, relaxed undercurrent. We were two introverts with no need to fill the silence, so we were good.

But you wouldn’t believe the change that happened in my new friend when the next guest at out table turned out to be an Iraqi veteran himself. Let me tell you, both men had this commanding presence and a wall of toughness and strength about them that I thought was permanent for sure. But all the appearances went crumbling down as they started talking in their own “language”. The tribal connection was so palpable, that the time froze, I was an outsider, and the only two people who mattered in the room were these two guys who acted as two dear friends who have not seen each other for ages. Being in the presence of someone from his own tribe originated a transformation that gave my friend all the resources he needed to be comfortable, funny and outgoing. I was finally looking at a man he really was!

What I have seen in that moment is that precious gem that I wanted to share with you. We all are connected to different tribes. But the tribes could make a difference or they can take us down. There are people who do not feel comfortable getting out of their comfort zone. Its ok, they are the ones making that choice. But when you have this burning desire to do something and you want to share it with others and get their feedback, I urge you to find the tribe, the group of people who will pick you up and carry you forward  even if you start stumbling on the road blocks. How do you find your tribe? The best way is to start asking questions. Does this person help you see more opportunities? Does this person make you think of other ways of accomplishing your goals? Does this person accept your desire to be and do more? If the answer is yes, then that person is a member of your tribe! Make sure you return the favor by offering your support to them. My tribe has been the people who have been following my journey on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AHeroOnEveryBlock. Now, having had their support, and slowly coming out of the shadows of the last two years, I am finally getting to the point when my heart is overflowing with gratitude and I am ready to start giving back. And I hope I can give back much more, because they are my tribe and I am part of theirs. We all have two things in common – life and finding the inspiration to keep going.

So what is it that makes a person defy the common path and go and create something that has never existed before? The iPhone that is sitting right by my MacBook is the physical proof of the extraordinary abilities of one man. Then what about the rest of us?

Having seen a number of his inspirational speeches the only explanation to the phenomena of Steve Jobs that I can come up with is that he actually lived what he spoke about. You can Google Steve Jobs’ name and within every video you will find points and tid bits on the phylosophy of life that he followed. He came from the humble beginnings, he was adopted, he quit college, he didn’t fit the cookie cutter. But he sticked with what he loved doing. And look at the result!

What strikes me the most is the scale of the growth that he achieved between the ages of 20 (when he started working on Mac in his garage) and 56, today. In the psychology world, there is an exercise where you write your own Eulogy. What would people say about you let’s say 30 years from now? And then you write your Eulogy if you were to die tomorrow. The discrepancy between who we are today and who we want to be (and to be known for) by the time we die, is usually what we still need to accomplish. In Steve’s case, I do not think he could have envisioned the Change he was about to bring, but what’s even more important, he never stopped at any intermediate point of his success. There was always a new generation of a product that he had a vision for. How many of us go beyond the original vision of success? Or more importantly, how many of us challenge ourselves to even dare to dream beyond that?

Every accomplishment of the future starts with where we are today, what we have overcome up till now and steps we will choose to take from now and onwards. Many times they don’t seem to fit. At least not easily. And it makes us wonder and rethink our goals. And most dangerously, it makes us try to stop and to return to the safer grounds.

I have lost my husband Adrian to brain cancer six months ago and being left with many bits of a puzzle that still do not fit together, I resonate deeply with the point that Steve made in 2005: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward. Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path.” The dots that Steve is talking about are the twists and turns and challenges in life. Can you imagine choosing to believe that everything that happens, happens for a reason, that every challenge is there to lead us towards our  life’s purpose? Listen, its taking me a lot of effort to choose seeing my husband’s passing as one of those dots that will connect me to some greater Good that I am supposed to bring into this world. There are days when I can’t wrap my mind around the thought that my Soul mate is not by my side any longer. Does it make sense? Not it my world! But making a choice to believe that there is a reason for everything that’s happening in my life, is what’s keeping me from a much greater trouble – despair. So I choose to belive. I know I will get there, somewhere, and so will you.

To me, Steve Jobs is a Hero. He knew what he wanted to do in life, he percervered, he challenged himself, he went way beyond what is considered to be the comfort zone for any man or woman out there. He had a gift. And he used it wisely. He used it geniously and generously. Every one of us has a gift. The question is, what are you doing with yours?

Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs. Your legacy will remain. Always.

Most sincerely,

Anya Marinovich
Film maker’s wife and a Spokesperson for A Hero On Every Block

“Be a Hero!”

“When a man mints coins — they are all alike, but when the Divine mints people, each of them is uniquely different even though they all come from the same mold.”

–Jewish Saying

During his interview for the “A Hero On Every Block” movie, Robert shared an experience which involved other people repeatedly coming up to him and saying: “Its easy for YOU to say, you found YOUR way…” In response, Robert noted that his only answer was: “Then find YOUR way!”

As Cathy said in her interview, we all have challenges “… I have challenges every day. Everybody has challenges every day. I am not different than anybody else. My challenges might be more difficult then some, and less difficult than others. But they are a big deal to me.”

The solutions to most challenges lie in your mental state. If your attitude and outlook on life does not scream “winner,” your ride will either be very long, very unsuccessful, or both. Cathy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis over 15 years ago. The things that most of us can do easily are a real challenge for her. Despite this, Cathy’s attitude is still positive. “I just have to figure out in my mind how I want to deal with it, how I want to do it, and then do it,” she asserts. “If we [Cathy and her husband] can’t do ten things, maybe we can only do six things. But we are going to do six things and have a great time doing them.”

The resolution of A Hero On Every Block is to always find a way. No one can give you the best answer. The only solution is the one that you can find within yourself, the one that your inner hero will whisper to you.

Hero is the Warrior of the Soul. When Hero is awakened, we are on track with our life’s purpose.

I have asked many people this question: What makes your life worth living? It turns out that it’s the difficult things, the circumstances that require tremendous amounts of strength and courage to overcome, that make life worth living. It’s the hardest challenges that make us the most proud.

One of the Heroes in A Hero On Every Block, Brian, said, “I have never known a great lesson that I actually wanted to go through, or enjoyed going through, while I was going through it. It’s when I achieved the outcome of that lesson, and in retrospect I could look back and see the value of it and say ‘oh… that’s why I went through it…’”

So let me ask you this … What are you the most proud of? All of us get a glimpse of our incredible potential when we tap into the energy of something that we have already overcome. Think of that experience. How did you do it? What happened once it was accomplished? Do you think you would benefit from having that level of energy and adrenaline in your life more often? You most definitely can.

The power of the Hero within is there at all times. All it takes to awaken that power is to make a conscious choice. Like another hero, Cathy, from A Hero On Every Block said, “I don’t love that I have to use a cane when I go out. I can’t stand when we travel and I am in a wheelchair. But it’s being in a wheelchair and being able to travel and do the things I want to do, or stay home. Hmm… What to do?”

The choice may not always be the obvious one. You just need to remember to always ask yourself: Am I doing this because this is the easy way? Am I blaming others for what is happening in my life and for how it might turn out? Am I making excuses, or trying to justify, why things are the way they are?

Here is what I learned by interviewing all of these people: your life will never be happy or fulfilling until you actually start living it. Do what may feel difficult, act in spite of the fear, go for your dreams, and do it here and now. There is never going to be a better time then the present.

Hero is the Warrior of the Soul. When Hero is awakened, we are on track with our life’s purpose.

Can you think of someone you know who just went through a really trying experience? Did you notice a change in that person? When we have to face a real challenge in life, something shifts inside. Think of it as a process of growing up.

Look at a playground, you will see children playing and enjoying themselves. Yet you know that while they are playing, their parents are dealing with the trials of daily life. One day those children will grow up and that wonderful feeling of ignorant bliss will come to an end. New words and ideas like job, responsibility, payments, are added to their vocabulary, and the world is never the same.

A similar experience happens when we get devastating news—terminal illness, loss in the family, loss of a job—or when we suddenly discover that life is not going the direction we wanted it to. I have interviewed hundreds of people across America for a documentary, A Hero On Every Block, and do you know what I have discovered? Devastating experiences happen, and they happen to all of us. We cannot protect ourselves from these events, nor can we avoid them. But what I have also discovered was that we all have the capacity to overcome them.

When we “grow up,” we realize our true priorities in life. Sometimes it takes that big devastating push to get us back on track with our life’s purpose. That awakening can be sobering and traumatic, but it is also inevitable. The only way to actually get to the other side of a challenge is by choosing to act in a Heroic way. The Hero in history is a warrior, slaying dragons, protecting the innocent, and leading others into the battle. We all have that “Hero” within us, the innate potential to overcome whatever comes our way. At any given moment, we have a choice: we can either allow ourselves to become a victim, or we can choose to be a Hero.

If you choose to overcome, to do what may seem hard, to do what is necessary despite the fear, you will discover that you are also living your life on purpose.

Hero is the Warrior of the Soul. When Hero is awakened, we are on track with our life’s purpose.