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Theme 1: Goal Setting and Decision Making Background Material Goal Setting for Success
"You can be and do anything you want in life, if you believe in yourself and want it badly enough." (Byron Smith, Everest 2000 Expedition Leader)
Definition of a Hero
MORE: Canadian Heritage: The human face of Canada's heroes A hero is also defined as:
Their motivation may be similar to that of real-life heroes -- to help others, to fight evil, to do something that no one else can do -- but they carry out their heoric acts with powers and abilities that humans do not possess. It's fun to think about these heroes, but it is important not to forget that real heroes are those who exist in the real world. Definition of Motivation:
Definition of Success:
Definition of Perseverance:
A hero can be described as someone whom others idolize, someone who has set and attained goals, someone who succeeds. Recognition of a hero is subjective. Someone who one person considers a hero may not be a hero in the opinion of another person. We hear about some heroes on the news who have either saved someone's life or who have overcome incredible barriers to succeed in their goals. Sometimes our heroes are people who do something very well, like a sports hero, a music idol, or a scientist who has helped find a cure for a disease. These people have special skills and are determined to succeed in spite of difficulties. Some heroes we never hear about: a neighbor who shovels the walk of an elderly couple every winter, a parent who always gives support, or a friend who is kind when others are not. Not everyone has the same ideas about what qualities define a hero, or who should be considered a hero. Some achieve heroism through a lifetime of effort and dedication. Others achieve it in a fleeting moment, through a single act of selflessness or courage. For some heroes it is a matter of survival - enduring persecution, overcoming prejudice, or living through disaster. MORE: The Reading Technology Institute of the California Technology Assistance Project explores these themes on its Heroes site Heroic qualities include determination, self motivation, passion, commitment, dedication, perseverance and willingness to set high standards and goals for oneself. Heroes persevere despite obstacles encountered, and inspire other people through their efforts. Above all, heroes believe in themselves, their goals, and their abilities to accomplish their goals. Heroes will ask for help when they feel stressed about accomplishing their task. Heroes often rely on help from others to achieve success. Heroes know that when you have fears about doing something, you can ask someone who believes in you: "Do you think I can pull this off? Can you help me with any advice?" MORE: Success speaker Patrick Combs speaks about overcoming fear with confidence in his Challenge column. We should make special note of heroes because they can lead to a better understanding of the history, attitudes and forces that have shaped our world. The qualities we admire in our heroes mirror our beliefs about how we characterize our society. Can anyone be a hero? A hero is not necessarily someone famous. It could be someone you know personally. You can become a hero for yourself, or in the opinion of someone else. Any individual can set challenging goals for him or herself. As long as you continue to make the effort to achieve your goals, even after encountering some disappointments and failures, you can become a hero. Examples of heroes, with different goals and dreams, from a variety of fields:
Byron Smith - will climb Mount Everest in March 2000. Byron Smith is from Vulcan, Alberta. He has chosen to climb Mount Everest for the second time in 2000, despite encountering problems on his first attempt in March of 1998. He did not give up on his dream to reach the summit. Thomas Edison - was an American inventor with 1,093 patents in his name, including patents for the electric light bulb, the carbon resistance telephone transmitter and the phonograph. Perhaps the most admirable quality of this hero was his limitless curiosity. Throughout his life, Thomas Edison encountered many failures as well as successes. But he refused to feel defeated by his failures and maintained unwavering commitment to his "invention factory." Although Edison had few resources and no support from his teachers, who dismissed him as "retarded" at an early age, he did have a dream and a willingness to persevere. He was driven by his motivation to achieve success in those areas that benefit humankind. Albert Einstein - was a German-born physicist most known for his Theories of Relativity. Einstein created a revolution in scientific thinking by adopting a completely new outlook on the nature of space and time and epitomizes the determination, passion and commitment that characterize heroes. Despite the violent controversies his theories created and the lack of faith from his teachers in his intellectual abilities, Albert Einstein persevered. He continued to challenge himself and his colleagues regarding the current assumptions about science. His motivation to pursue his scientific goals awarded him the status of genius, and he continues to inspire others to this day. Terry Fox - was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 18, in March 1977. After his right leg was amputated six inches above the knee, Terry decided to run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research. His journey was called the Marathon of Hope. After 18 months and over 5,000 kilometers of training, Terry went to Newfoundland to commence his journey. On April 12th, 1980 Terry dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland and began his historic quest to run every day, until he reached the Pacific Coast. On September 1, just outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Terry was forced to end his marathon due to the spread of cancer to his lungs. Ten months later, on June 28, 1981, Terry passed away at the age of 22. Terry left his heroic footprints across 5,373 kilometers of this country. Sharon Wood - was the first North American woman to climb Mount Everest. Sharon Wood has never considered herself a hero. But in 1986, she became the first woman in North America to climb Mount Everest. It was an astonishing personal and team accomplishment under conditions of extreme physical and mental duress. It was an example of ordinary people achieving extraordinary results. Sharon Wood had a dream to be the first woman from her continent to climb Mount Everest, and she accomplished her dream through hard work. Rosa Parks - refused to give up her seat on the bus. Rosa Parks was an African American woman who lived in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. In her city at that time, she was expected to sit at the back of the public bus because of her skin color. One day while riding the bus home from work, Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was tired, and did not think it was fair that the man was supposed to have her seat on demand. Rosa Parks started the revolution to equate people of all races. Her goal was to create equality between herself and the white people. She accomplished that goal by standing up for what she believed in. Sir Edmund Hillary - was the first person, along with Tenzing Norgay, to reach the summit of Everest on May 29, 1953. An avid adventurer, Hillary has also made many Himalayan river explorations and is known for being the first person to cross Antarctica. Hillary's numerous explorations are well documented in the ten books that he has written or co-authored. In addition to his adventurous spirit, Sir Edmund Hillary is also a distinguished humanitarian. His humanitarian efforts have led to the development of the Canadian-based Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation, through which Hillary was able to help build 26 schools, three airfields, two hospitals and 12 clinics in Nepal. Hillary's efforts have also led to the establishment of hygienic-waste systems in remote Nepali villages and a ten-year fund for a reforestation project in Sagarmatha National Park. Sir Edmund's humanitarian endeavors have also been educational because the Himalayan youth have learned how they are able to contribute to their own communities. A hero in every sense of the word, Sir Edmund Hillary has received many awards for both his exploratory and humanitarian achievements.
Dr. Grant McFadden - is a virologist. Dr. McFadden started his university career at McGill University, in Montreal, then he went to the University of Western Ontario in London, and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. He was a biochemistry professor at the University of Alberta. For the past 20 years he has dedicated his career to studying and researching the small pox virus, and the tricks that viruses use to out-smart host's defenses. The Globe and Mail. Friday, December 3, 1999. pg. A19
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