Superman. Captain America. Batman. Wonder Woman.

When these names come to mind, a crime-fighting, larger-than-life, humanly impossible superhero usually clouds the figments of our imaginations. Heroes are portrayed by us as pure fantasy; they do and represent everything that we humans aspire to be.

These conventional beliefs came to my mind, too, that is, until a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it took a writing prompt, a classroom lecture, and hours of sitting in front of an open Microsoft Word document to change my shallow perspective.

Why look at fictional superheroes when other heroes are right in front of us?

Though we sure do wish it as so, superheroes aren't real. Their actions are manipulated by a mark of our pen and our critical movie reviews.

On the other hand, our Earth is filled with its own unique set heroes, joined together by similarities while divided by differences. To spot these heroes, we all must look past the flowing red cape and toward other hidden indicators of strength, leadership, and courage.

Sometimes, however, heroes can be in a closer proximity than you assume. When no one's there to call for help, it takes the hero in you to save the day!

If you ponder upon it hard enough, you already do heroic acts in your day to day life. Though it may seem doubtful, everyone's lives are decorated with acts of greatness here and there.

Waking up each day requires strength. Standing up for the little guy requires assertiveness. Being yourself requires courage.

These actions may not be as great at The Hulk's superhuman strength. These actions may not be as penetrating as Superman's x-ray vision. These actions may not be as quick as Wonder Woman's super speed. But, they just may have the ability to do much, much more than any fictional superhero could do with all their powers combined.

Don't wait for someone else to save you from the unpredictable dangers charging straight ahead. Take a deep breath, and be the hero everyone around you needs. That alter ego inside of you might be crying out to be revealed to the world