When getting to know people, I sometimes ask "Who are your heroes?" Who you look up to says a lot about your own personal values. Too often, however, people answer that they don't really have any heroes. Our contemporary leaders and celebrities don't seem to have what it takes for people to give them 'hero' status. Maybe we need to look at heroes in a new way.

When I look around, I see heroes everywhere. I'm lucky to know many extraordinary human beings who make significant contributions to their communities. My heroes have directly influenced my life through their leadership and passion. These are people who have created new paths for others to follow. They inspire me. They persist in the face of adversity and they conquer fear in the service of the greater good.

"Nobody's perfect" you might say when you start to look for everyday heroes in your life. In one sense, you're right. Everyone has flaws and everyone makes mistakes. Even those great names in history that we automatically associate with "heroes" (you know the ones), even they had flaws and they made mistakes. We remember them for their extraordinary contributions, and we generously overlook their foibles.

What if you looked at the people in your life today, your contemporaries, with the same generosity of spirit? Think now of those uncommon people in your family, your workplace, your communities, and focus on their contributions. You will see some with longstanding commitments that have directly or indirectly benefited many others. You will find others still who quietly stand for certain values without whom we'd all lose out.

Survey your life. Start with the people closest to you and see the extraordinary in them. Look for greatness in the prosaic. Find the valorous in the everyday lives of the people who have influenced you and who have given you what you needed to get where you are today. Then, take a minute to tell them. Tell someone "you are a hero to me" today.