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Today we talk about the expectations people have with the people the want to learn from, work with and idolize as heroes.

Hiten avoids idolizing people who are alive.  He says if you have heroes who are alive, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not being yourself.  He believes if you have a bias to action, you don’t want to have expectations from others.  Hiten tries to avoid things that get in the way of his own individualism.  Steli says for a big part of his life he looked for heroes, but he is now more introspective and motivated by challenging himself.  Steli is more interested in turning his mentors into his peers.

We also discuss how we deal with being mentors and heroes to others.  We both get energy out of helping other people.  Hiten focuses on making a meaningful impact.  He likes when people bring him a problem and he can help them think it through.  Steli tells about his experiences when people he works with become disappointed when they learn he’s not the hero they think he is.  Steli says you’re wasting a lot of energy when you idolize someone because you’re going to be disappointed and you create expectations for yourself that are impossible.

Today’s Tips:

Hiten:  I like a quote by Steve Jobs where he talks about everything around us being created by someone no smarter than yourself.  Here’s the link to the video:

If you’re gravitating toward somebody, learn everything you can, but know that’s not them being as human as if they were your friend. If you’re their friend, you’ll know their flaws too.

Steli: Don’t look for what separates you from others, look for what connects you with them.  Look at your idols more as human beings and learn from them, but don’t turn them into comic book heroes.

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