I often think of my heroes. When I was a kid I loved Spiderman, Superman, and Daredevil. Nowadays, my heroes are historical and famous. A short list of my heroes includes: 

• Nelson Mandela - don’t miss this video with South African musician, Johnny Clegg

• Barack Obama - I voted for him, first when he was a senator, and later when he became President

• Yonatan Netanyahu - he led the Entebbe raid (1976) but was killed (I was born in Kampala)

• Terry Fox - watch the movie, it is inspiring

• Douglas Bader - “Reach for the Sky” (his autobiography) was one of the first “chapter” books that I read. He lost both of his legs before becoming a fighter pilot in WWII 

• Frederick Douglass - escaped slave, prominent activist, author, and public speaker

• Viola Desmond - now featured, proudly, on our 10 dollar Canadian bill, more than a business woman

These are people that I admire for who they are and what they have done. But there are more. I also have heroes that are not as famous but I still admire them. This post is about those heroes. 

Peter Dankelson

Earlier this summer I was bored and thought I would give TikTok a try. If you haven’t downloaded the app - don’t do it. It is entertaining and engaging but TikTok is also addictive.

However, if you have taken the plunge (and quit watching TikTok long enough to read this post) then you may have come across Peter. He’s goofy but funny. He’s a musician, a guitarist to be specific. He cranks out a short video every few days. He plays mostly rock and roll covers. Bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, etc. He’s good - at least to my ear which isn’t very sophisticated but I like what and how he plays.

He is my hero because he has a disability. I’m not going to talk about his disability because it doesn’t matter. Peter talks about his disability and basically, he says he is “high maintenance and expensive.” I admire him because he doesn’t let his disability hold him back. He doesn’t whine or complain. He is a soldier. He focuses on his abilities and expands his skill. He moves forward and rocks on. I admire that. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@petesdiary

264.6K Followers

4.2M Likes

Pretty impressive. My hero. 

donnamct (aka Donna McTaggart)

I suspect that Donna doesn’t think of herself as a hero. But she is my hero. 

She used to organize and manage Social Media Breakfast in Calgary. She managed and hosted over 100 breakfasts. Great speakers (I think I presented a couple of times). Excellent networking. Wonderful people. Interesting locations. Eventually, however, #SMBYYC came to the end of its product life cycle. As a result, Donna moved on to 3D pastures, specifically AltspaceVR.

If you have been reading any of my posts over the past few months, you may have noticed that I have hosted 2 events on AltspaceVR. These events have been on the topic of marketing, hence the name: Marketing Magic VR. 

The first event was in November and featured Marc Binkley. 30 people attended.  In December, Joe Apfelbaum was our guest. Over 50 people attended. VR is fun and engaging. You should try it.  

The event producer for these events is Donna. She sets up the room. Adds the graphics. Sets up fireworks rockets and basketball hoops for people to try. Uploads the presentations. Provides an orientation session for the presenter. Greets people when they join the event. Troubleshoots and resolves issues. 

Donnamct has hosted over 700 VR events. She is fabulous, tremendous, and amazing. She is my hero. Thanks, Donna.

If you want to meet her go to www.altvr.com, download the software, set up a username, login, and search for her. That is where she hangs out. 

Susan Raby-Dunne

I first heard of Susan about 2 years ago. My wife and I moved to Longview late in 2018. Susan lives in the village. A friend of mine suggested that I give her a call. I did and I have been delighted ever since. 

Susan is an author with at least 6 books and she is working on 2 more. Her website which lists her books is http://susanrabydunne.com/my-books/. 

I haven’t read them all. Well, to be honest, I have only read one, Bonfire - The Chestnut Gentleman. My guess is that you haven’t heard of Bonfire. But I’m sure you have heard of Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Oh, you don’t recall him either. Okay, how about the poem, In Flanders Fields? In Flanders fields the poppies blow, Between the crosses, row on row...

Ah, now you remember! Well, Bonfire is McCrae’s horse. 

This book is a biography with a twist. The book is written from the horse’s perspective - literally, Bonfire is talking to the reader. It is well written. Descriptive. Funny. Informative. Ultimately, tragic. A fantastic read. I read it twice. The first time on my own. Then, recently, to my Dad who is 90 years old. He loved it. 

Susan is my hero because she is a published author. I’m a writer or, rather, trying to be. I have a book in the works but I’m not a “published author”. I hope to be someday. The book I’m working on is called, “A Guide to Fundamentals of Intentional Marketing”. I have a co-author, Joanne O’Connell. (BTW, Joanne is another of my heroes but I’ll write about her another time. Thanks, Joanne for all you do.)

Joanne and I have completed the first draft of the “manuscript” (that is what you call a book before it has front and back covers). We are now in the process of getting help from editors, illustrators, formatters, printers, and various other people who want to get paid for their talents. We aim to publish the book in the Spring of 2021. That’s the plan. 

Back to Susan. She is my hero because she starts and completes the things that she values. She works hard. She is focused. She is dedicated. I admire these characteristics. 

Who Are Your Heroes?

Write me a note. Send me an email. Tweet me. Give me a call. Or look me up on TikTok.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.