As masters of our individual stories, we have the power to shape and bend our lives into a form that fits us. If whatever hand we’ve been dealt is stacked against us, we don’t throw our cards in and quit the game. No, we keep playing until the odds are in our favor and we win the game.

Yet what is truly thought-provoking is wondering how our endgame affects the people around us. As we edge closer to winning the game are we sabotaging the people around us for failure or are we uplifting them as we elevate ourselves? Are we heroes, villains or sidekicks?

The hero:

The warrior. The overcomer of obstacles, the person that refuses to let anything or anyone hold them back. This person isn’t always the bravest or the smartest or the strongest.

No, the hero can be Frodo Baggins, the most unlikely of heroes but also the most determined to keep going. The hero-and we all like to think this is us-looks villains in the face and tells them to bug off. No matter how many time the hero is knocked down, drug through the mud, squashed down by peers and even friends, they get back up and overcome.

Are you the hero of your story? Or are you still picking yourself back up?

The sidekick:

Sidekicks don’t get enough credit. I mentioned the hero being a warrior, but so is a sidekick. Sidekicks fight battles right alongside the hero. When the hero gets weary and has thoughts of giving up, the sidekick makes sure they keep going. There’s no Frodo without Samwise, no Harry without Ron and no King T’Challa without Princess Shuri. Sidekicks to be are demi-heroes that deserve more credit.

Are you a sidekick, or do you elevate people around you to achieve greatness? Do you cheer them on and motivate them?

Or do you hold them back…

The villain:

The villain doesn’t always know they’re a villain. Villains are heroes in their stories and they’re unaware they’re a villain in yours.

This person can be sweet as pie or sour as a lemon. This person takes down people in their way without a second thought. Villainistas (yes this is a made-up word and can be applied to both men and women) have an “I” mentality. They often start sentences with “I feel,” and have no regard for feelings other than their own.

A villain is an oppressor holding someone back from their happiness and success.

Villains can be a friend…someone who is continuously negative or endorses staying stagnant. You see, villains aren’t always obvious, it can be someone who doesn’t want you to improve your circumstances, especially if improving means you have more than them.

Are you a villain? Let's reflect:

* If you asked someone to picture the person that seems to sabotage and destroy everything they try to build, would they think of you?

* Are you the person they avoid talking to because they mention your negativity?

* Are you the person they’re trying to beat or prove wrong?

* Does this person feel like they’re battling you day after day at work? At home?

I honestly can’t answer any of these questions for you. I can only be honest with myself and admit to my own self-reflection. Most days I like to think I’m an uplifting person but I am human and I have my faults. Sometimes my faults outweigh my good deeds and my temper is quicker than my ability to forgive.

Heaven knows I’m a villain when someone gets my drive-thru order wrong (insert serious face). Yet, being honest with myself, I think I’d prefer to be a sidekick. If I can elevate people around me if I can motivate people to be the best versions of themselves…then I’m already someone’s hero.