I can think back to when I was six years old watching Superman for the first time and I remember thinking how cool it would be to be him. He could fly, was super-fast, strong beyond belief, and everyone loved him. Fighting bad guys and having heat vision was just another day at the office. Who wouldn't want that? I wanted so desperately to be a superhero when I grew up. It was my dream! The sad part is that I actually grew up. Work became more prominent in life, money became a stronger factor, and I had to hang up the cape for the real world.

Hang on just a second.

Just because you don't have Captain America's uniform that doesn't mean you can't be Steve Rogers. I have always admired and looked up to caped crusaders even to this day. No, I'm not 6 years old anymore, but they still inspire me every day.

At first, I loved the idea of putting on a mask and being someone else. Letting all of your care just fade away. Being super isn't a persona. It's a state of mind. Some people see another licensed t-shirt, but I see strength, intelligence, charisma, leadership, and as I'm growing to see them in a different light, I see humanity.

I have always been very into sports which has only added to my competitive attitude. I don't take losses lightly. I hate to lose. There is no worse feeling than getting knocked down and having to go back to the drawing board. I mean hey, Tony Stark experimented making over 40 suits and that's certainly no walk in the park. The only direction to move is forward. No matter what happens, no matter how hard you get hit, you keep fighting and pushing through. Maybe we didn't get thrown into a mountain by an other-worldly being. We failed a test. We have a job that we hate. We just got broken up with. It happens to everyone and it's awful, but I learned you have to lace up your boots, tie up your cape, strap on your mask, and get right back to work.

Bruce Wayne saw both of his parents get shot and killed. Tony Stark fought a brutal battle with alcoholism. Steve Rogers missed out on the girl he loved. Kal-El was orphaned when he was just a baby. Batman, Superman, Iron Man, and Captain America; all of them are amazing heroes--all just as human as anyone else. The levels that they have reached after going through such hardships is awe-inspiring. They know and understand that the things that they can do for others is bigger than themselves. It doesn't matter if you're down the street or on the other side of the globe. There are heroes out there who risk everything to put you ahead of everything.

So why do I look up to superheroes? Because they're everything that we as people should strive to be; kind, giving, supportive, creative, and selfless. Maybe we can't regenerate like Wolverine and Deadpool, but time heals all wounds. No matter how hard life gets we do what people do best — we fight. We fight and scratch and claw, and do everything else in our power to get back to where we need to be. All it takes is that first step. It just takes that one step to be super.