And with those words 5 year old Miles Scott initiated a series of events that neither he, nor the city of San Francisco, nor the nation could fathom.

Miles Scott has been dealing with leukemia since he was 18 months old, so he knows a little something about battling bad guys. Recently when he was asked by the Make a Wish Foundation what his wish was, he said, “I want to be Batman.” So the Make a Wish Foundation set out to make it happen. And that’s when things exploded in a way no one had anticipated.

Miles’ story took off through social media and thousands volunteered to make his wish come true. The plot was hatched that would see the police chief of “Gotham City”, aka San Francisco, make a media call for Batman to save the city from the bad guys and to bring along “Batkid”. The scene was set for Miles, dressed in full Batkid regalia, to be accompanied by a real life Batman to battle a series of staged injustices in San Francisco amidst a police escort and a throng of adoring fans waving “We Love BATKID” signs.

What nobody imagined was how this simple wish and its implementation would capture the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people. Over 13,000 turned up the day of the caper to cheer on the child caped-crusader.   The media coverage catapulted his fame to tens of thousands more, and his social media/online celebrity is approaching the 1,000,000 viewer mark. Even President Obama wished him well in his crime fighting efforts.

It is amazing to see the impact that one open heart, daring to dream, then courageously stepping into hope can have on the lives of people.

Miles voiced what I think all of us want. We want to be superheroes. We want to be able to come to the rescue and save people from evil and injustice. We want to make a difference. We want to be significant. We want our lives to matter.

At least we did when we were kids – when our hearts were open and free, and perhaps unwounded by life. But somehow the slings and arrows of life have sent our innocent hopes and dreams into hiding. We dare not cling to, nor somehow express, our deep desire to make a difference. We have somehow lost hope that we matter, that we can be “super”, that we can be a “hero”, that we can be significant.

Why is that?

I have no doubt that at some point in time, in the midst of some kind of disappointment or failure, we believed the lie that we have nothing special to offer; that we can’t really make a difference; that we don’t really matter. So don’t bother trying it will only lead to failure, it will only lead to disappointment. Sit down, shut up and don’t think you have anything special to offer.

But oh how wrong that is.

Every person matters. Every person can make a difference. Every person has something to offer, something unique to them. Any person can have a significant impact on another – especially if you are in a position of leadership.

It doesn’t take that much to be a hero. First, get your focus off yourself and look to see how you can help others. Remember, leadership is helping others be better. Second, don’t believe the belittling thoughts (lies) that you have nothing to offer. Anyone can offer kindness, goodness, generosity, patience, compassion, empathy, friendship and effort on behalf of others. We all have time, talent and treasure that we can offer to people.

You don’t have to move mountains to be a hero; you simply have to move hearts. And that’s not too difficult to do when you are living wholeheartedly.

Watch the media coverage of little Miles Scott, the Batkid, and see if you are not moved by his courage, passion and authenticity. Be inspired. Let’s be willing to become a little more childlike in our thinking and believe we can make a difference.

When did we stop believing that we had something unique to offer this world? We do, and it’s even more powerful when combined with a childlike wholeheartedness. Let’s choose to live and lead wholeheartedly for the benefit of others.

Who wants to be a superhero? I do. Yes, I want to be Batman!