Your Heroes: Try to Be Like Them… TODAY (Heroic +1 #1,972)

Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another heroic one. In our last handful of Plus 1s, we've been exploring some wisdom from John Hale's great book, Lords of the Sea. Today we're going to wrap up our tour of the wisdom from the Aegean Sea. Let's get straight to work. John tells us, and I quote, when they surrendered to the Macedonians, the Athenians had more ships and a better equipped naval base than ever before. Philo's arsenal was still brand new. Some mysterious spiritual essence, however, had vanished. As Nicias once reminded the assembly, a trireme's crew could remain at the peak of performance for only a short time. For the Athenian ship of state, thanks to the unremitting effort and self sacrifice of its people, the peak had been prolonged for a century and a half. Now rule of the sea would pass to other city states and empires. Rhodes, Carthage, Alexandria, Rome. As for the creative explosion called the Golden Age, it ended with the naval power on which it had been built. With the Athenian people divided and the Piraeus in foreign hands, the reign of Themistocles Navy reached its final day. He continues by saying the gleaming city of marble and bronze still enshrines the memory of many heroes whose ashes lie buried in tombs along the sacred way. Thucydides. I got that right on the first try. This time Thucydides two times in a row set down a funeral oration delivered by Pericles for citizens who died in the Peloponnesian War. Near the end of his speech, Pericles issued a challenge. Famous men have the whole world as their memorial. It is not only the inscriptions on their graves in their own country that mark them out. No, in foreign lands also, not in any visible form, but in people's hearts, their memory abides and grows. It is for you to try to be like them. Many have tried, Hale said, chasing the same goals of democracy, liberty and happiness that generations of Athenians pursued in their ships. Few can claim to have equaled their achievements, fewer still to have surpassed them. Now those are the final words of the book, from the final chapter called the Last Battle. As I read that passage and thought about the fierce ambition of Pericles and the Athenian heroes who dedicated their lives to creating the Golden Age that changed the world. I thought of Doris Kearns Goodwin and wisdom from her great book, Leadership in Turbulent Times. Goodwin features a number of iconic heroic leaders, including Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. She tells us they were all very different types of leaders who affected the world in very different ways. But the one thing they all had in common a fierce ambition to make a difference in the world and be remembered by those they served. Channeling Pericles I say, who are your heroes? Try to be like them all day, every day, especially today.

What's up? This is Michael, President and head coach at Heroic One quick note before we go. I just think it's so amazing that Brian keeps reading all these books and distilling them into more wisdom in less time. By the way, thank you Brian for continuing to read the books distill them for us. I love not having to read the book, just getting them more wisdom and less time to the plus ones of Philosopher's Notes. And if you're into this kind of thing, expressing the best version of yourself and using your greatest gifts make a positive impact on the world. Make sure you head to Heroic Us to check out all the other resources that we have available to you. You can download a bunch of free goodies including Philosopher's Notes, masterclasses and our scientifically proven Heroic app. You can also explore advanced resources to help you go next level, including live and virtual workshops, working one on one with a Heroic Performance coach, or even becoming a certified coach yourself as you master Heroic performance, the fundamentals of Coaching Excellence and Heroic Coaching prosperity. Again, head to Heroic Us to get the ancient wisdom, modern science and practical tools you need to activate your heroic potential and change the world together. And please do hit subscribe. Appreciate you have a fantastic day and see you again soon.