In the pantheon of comic book heroes, none has ever stood out more to me than the Batman. So awesome was he, too me, that as a child I often wondered what his superpower was. I mean, seriously. It couldn't be a guy in body armor standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Last Son of Krypton, right? You know, the guy who can bounce bullets off of his chest?

As I grew older, I began to understand what really made Batman stand out from the many other heroes I'd read over the years; he's completely and totally human. Seperate Bruce Wayne from his trillions of dollars and you're left with another man on the street.

This got me thinking; so Bruce Wayne, this human being who can cripple Superman, merely invested time and energy into becoming who he was? Was it really that simple? Was a man's greatest weapon truly...his drive?

As I went through adolescence, I was told the same thing over and over; you're never going to make it. Give up. Quit. You're not good enough. Quit living in fantasy-land. Grow up and get a job.

And thinking of this man, this terror of the night who used his circumstances to become a legend, was what helped to shape who I became.

No.

You're wrong.

I will be who I want to be.

You will not stop me.

You're not strong enough to stop me.

It first began when I was homeless, and fighting for money. There were so very many people who were stronger, quicker, and more skilled than I was. But I wouldn't quit. No matter how hard they hit me, no matter how many times they'd knock me down, I'd keep getting up over and over again until their very will was broken.

When they told me I'd never get off the street, I used my circumstances to my advantage. I took what little money I had and bought a car. I found a job. I left homelessness behind seven years ago.

They told me I'd never make it in sales, and because I steadfastly refused to allow any of my detractors to win, I stayed at the top of my job as long as I was there. It became one of the only jobs I left on good terms. One of my bosses even nicknamed me "The Dark Knight".

By the time they told me I'd never make it as a writer, I'd stopped listening to them. I have built a solid reputation as a freelancer and ghostwriter. Last week, I released my first book under my own name, and as of this writing, it's been downloaded nearly two hundred times, garnered one five star review and appears in twenty-two libraries.

A tenacious determination isn't a choice in a single circumstance; it's a way of life. The Batman is one man who will age, grow old, and inevitably pass on the mantle. Until then, through his mind, willpower, and relentless determination, he will continue to fight for what he believes in no matter what anyone says, and no matter what gets in his way.

It's a great thing to look up to. It's gotten me this far.

They're no longer saying that I can't make it as an author.

Thank you for reading.