THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM IZUKU MIDORIYA

Izuku Midoriya is a person that's so real and lovable that you would have to be a straight up bitch to be mean to him or wanna do harm to him. He has the look of a typical shonen character with the same type of motivations but his path is quite different. I think we all agree as fans of the anime and manga that Izuku Midoriya ignites this spark in all of us that makes us want to be better and help others. There's some things that we can learn from the shy Detroit smashing green haired superhero. The next symbol of peace.

FUCK LIMITATIONS

Izuku was born without a quirk(superpower) in a society where more than half of the population has one. All he wanted to be was a hero just like his idol “All Might” the number one hero in the world. He sees his peers acquire their quirks over time while he doesn’t and he finds out he will be quirkless. You see his world shatter into pieces. Then to make matters worse his mother and his idol All Might tell him he will never be a hero.

Not only does Izuku get a quirk but he becomes the greatest hero of all time. In a situation where no one believed, he was the only one that did. Remember the episode of “Boy Meets World” Where Topanga broke up with Cory and she went out on this great date with another guy and Angela told Shawn that the relationship had no chance of happening again? Shawn told Cory what Angela said and Cory said something interesting in response to Shawn. He said “It’s weird” and Shawn replied “It’s weird that it’s over?” And Cory replied “It’s weird being the only one that knows that it’s not." Izuku was the only one who believed it wasn’t over for his dream. Fuck limitations. If you look for excuses you always find them. Midoriya didn't look for an excuse he looked for his destiny instead.

TALENT ISN’T ENOUGH

The power of “One For All” takes a serious toll on Izuku’s body when he uses it. He doesn’t know how to control the quirk yet. Physically as the series goes on Midoriya’s body changes. He’s in super muscular shape but that isn’t enough. Although his body can withstand the punishment of overusing the quirk it’s only so long he can keep that up. Izuku is an intelligent kid so he turns to his intellect to get through the obstacles in front of him instead of relying just on the quirk itself. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t have the work ethic, discipline, or intellect to add to the talent then you will limit yourself and never reach your true potential. I can workout at the gym 5 days a week and have the talent to lift everything in it but if I eat poorly 4 outta 7 days a week I’m limiting myself and none of the work I do in the gym matters. The results I want won’t show. I’ll still be outta shape. My weightlifting talent wouldn’t be enough to get the body I want. It’s a mental workout also. Your mind has to accompany your talent also.

EMBRACE APPRENTICESHIP

Izuku had a mentor out the gate. All Might just didn’t know he was that mentor yet. I tell creatives all the time that they don’t need a mentor in front of them to have a mentor. Pharrell Williams is my mentor he just don’t know it yet but until that day comes I’m learning from him from a distance because it's the only option I have. Izuku did the same thing with All Might. All might was always his mentor even before they met. Izuku embraced apprenticeship. He enjoys being the student. All Might brought Izuku to his calling which is being a superhero. We all need help in finding our calling which is why it’s important to embrace apprenticeship. Don’t just admire people. Go out and practice what they do and preach if you feel it’s right. The people who put their independence and ego to the side are the ones who achieve greatness. Nothing timeless is built alone. Izuku didn’t get to where he’s at alone. Embrace apprenticeship.

KILL EM WITH KINDNESS

Midoriya is very polite and helpful. He was constantly bullied as a child and instead of trying to get revenge he always would come back around and still try to hang out. Bakugou was a little bitch towards Izuku and Izuku STILL considers that asshole as his friend. He has greater powers than Bakugou now and could literally knock his face off but he doesn’t. He kills him with kindness. Midoriya goes out his way to help everyone even people who are mean to him. All that shows us is that he’s the most mature kid out of the group.

TAKE NOTES

I love taking notes. I cannot function or write anything without notes. It’s a habit of mine. Midoriya note taking is probably his most underrated power because the note taking allows him to analyze his opponents and have a strategy before the battle is even fought. He knows the pros and cons of hundreds maybe even thousands of heroes quirks. It shows that he loves what he does. It’s that kind of discipline that will take him far. He’s ahead of his peers and it’s mainly because he studies the game.

TAKE A RISK

You probably hear this everyday in some way, shape, or form. No risk. No reward. If you don’t take a risk then nothing is going to change. Opportunity not coming to you. You have to go to it. Izuku took a huge risk by attempting to save Bakugou despite not having a quirk. If Izuku never did this then All Might would have never saw him and give him “One For All.” The risk Midoriya took was huge because he put his life on the line and that risk changed his life and helped him start his dream. He knew that there would be pain involved but he took the risk anyway and it paid off.

INSECURITIES LIVE IN US ALL

Izuku is unsure of himself. It’s why he’s the most relatable anime character. Even though he has this amazing quirk he still has doubts, fears, and insecurities. He’s not a headstrong guy. He’s timid and sometimes has very poor self esteem issues despite being the strongest. We all have insecurities but it’s how we confront and deal with them that makes the difference.

TALK IS CHEAP

Midoriya is different from all the other Shonen main characters. The big difference is that he's not making a declaration every episode. Luffy said he will be King of The Pirates. Naruto said he will be Hokage. Midoriya just wanted to be a hero just like All Might. He never talks about how great he will be or he will be the best. He's a quiet dude. If he talks about being the best it's always on the battlefield while in action. He let his actions speak. Talk is cheap. Declarations can be shackles. Don't declare anything if you're not disciplined enough to hold yourself to it. Stop telling everyone your goals and dreams. Tell yourself those things and work towards them. The people who constantly make declarations publicly are the ones who are always full of shit. They're all talk. I see the same cycle. Person makes a declaration on social media, then they don't deliver and people hold them to that declaration and now they feel like a failure because they didn't keep their word, they get inspired again from their idols and then make another public declaration, fail again and the cycle continues.

The reason they're failing because they're doing it for the wrong reasons. Shut the fuck up and make the declaration to yourself. Stop trying to prove shit to people who wouldn't bail you out of jail. Set the goal in your mind and start working. No one needs to know your progress. No one needs to know your happiness or sadness. It's YOUR journey. Not ours. You're not obligated to share anything with anyone but yourself.

BE CARING

I'm sure everyone was cutting onions in their house after Episode 4 in Season 3 where Midoriya fought Muscular. It gave us all the feels and the soundtrack to the moment definitely helped also but that moment is why Izuku Midoriya is so inspiring. He put his life on the line for a kid that hated him. Izuku cared just as much about Kota's feelings about his parents as if they were his parents too. Izuku took that emotion along with his beliefs into battle with him and that's how he was able to overcome that battle. He simply cared more than his opponent did. He fought with a purpose versus fighting just for the sake of fighting. Izuku greatest strength is that he cares more than anyone that's in front of him and he cares about the right shit. That’s why he will be the greatest hero. He’s selfless. He wouldn’t get to where he is now without caring. The villain “Stain” respected him because of this. He seen that Izuku cares about the right things and is not about attention or recognition. He saw that he genuinely cares. It’s cool to care about things I promise. Care as much as possible because that's where our strength resides. That's where you can find your version of your Detroit or Delaware smash at 1,000,000,000%

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