My hero is my father.

No one has superpowers, or radioactive abilities. Once the child grows up, the comic and sunday morning cartoon heroes become nothing but characters and playmates of the past. So, who's going to be there when things go wrong?

It will be regular people with outstanding human abilities.
They don't need to have inhuman superpowers in order to succeed, protect, and inspire.

There are three qualities in particular that can make someone a true hero: bravery, determination, and magnanimity.

Anyone can set a plan, have a dream, and create a goal, but it takes bravery in order to actually follow through. Especially, when the path to success seems impossible.
My father was born in Culiacan, Sinaloa, eldest of six boys.
At the age of 10 my father was abandoned by his mother, leaving him to look after his five younger siblings. He would not see her again for almost a decade. Uncles that lived nearby took the 6 boys under their limited care, and put my father to work. At 10 years old my father was herding cows, and trading goods. Life consisted of hard work and little rest but there was food to eat and beds to sleep on.
These necessities became luxuries when the farm that provided their work was sold. They lost everything.
My father and his siblings followed their uncles to Metates, a small village on the other side of the mountain.
This would be my father's home for only one year before the empty stomachs, and dirt beds ignited the desire for a better life.

Bravery is what made my young father strikingly different from all the other men in that village. He made a decision the others did not, and would not ever make: venturing out of the city, state, and country limits for a better life.
With no money, and no other directions but "north", my 14 year old father jumped on the rattling boxcar of a freight train that took him up to the American border.

A hero is willing to do what other's can't/won't to accomplish good things, not only for themselves but for those around him/her.

Determination helps us defeat our weaknesses. It is not giving up, even when it would be easier to do so. Determination is reliability. Determination is a necessary quality for a true hero.

The long, arduous trip led him into the country of dreams. Despite the brevity of his stay my father was in awe of the possibilities he hadn't even known existed prior to his journey. It solidified his belief that there was more than leaking tin roofs, and cow herding. It made him determined to continue seeking for a better life.
However, he was still only 14 and by law couldn't work in America. So, he waited to become old enough, and he did not wait idly.
My father returned to Mexico where he worked odd jobs in the village and surrounding towns. America had lit his determination ablaze. He learned to read, write, drive, cultivate and grow food.
Determination pushed my father to do great things.

My father returned to America when he was 18. He arrived and got to work and he hasn't stopped.
As soon as he could my father helped his brothers, each and ever one in every way: housed them, clothed them, and employed them. He always knew there were better things, but never for himself only. My father always thought of his family.
This new life had a difficult beginning, with a lot of sacrifices, and choices but it was all worth it in the end. My father was able to own a home, a car, and the success of his life. None of it could have been possible if he had lacked determination.

A hero is determined to do good that will benefit not only himself but all those around him/her.

Define as: very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself. A hero can be as fearless and unrelenting as they'd like but it'd wouldn't make them a hero unless their actions had a positive impact on others. Protect and inspire.

Through all the struggles it would have been easier for my father to leave behind his siblings. Others had done it. It would have made his goals easier to reach, but my father left no one behind. He even sought out his mother when he was still in Mexico and found her in conditions as poor as his had been. My father helped her, provided food and a home.
He brought his family to America and showed them the prosperous life earned through work. He helped them all earn a life greater than they could have ever accomplished in Mexico, and he did it all without a hesitation.
The lives my father positively impacted increased through the years and his help was extended to those with no blood relation to him. Friends, strangers, and people who just needed help.

He never asked for recognition, or even appreciation and so he never really received any. My father always says, "Never do good for recognition, do it because it's right."

A hero does not accomplish good deeds for reciprocation, or recognition.

No one is perfect, it's part of being human. We all make mistakes and my father isn't excluded from that. Along with all the good he's done and achieved exist his mistakes.
It is the same for all of us but it doesn't mean we can't be heroes. In fact, the reality that true heroes are human like everyone else is another aspect that makes a true hero, true.

My father showed us that bravery enables us to break through repressive constructs and take that first step toward our goals, despite all odds against us. With determination we can take the second, third, forth, step, and keep going until we've reached what we want. Magnanimity is what makes us see what, and who is important and to focus our efforts, and goals toward benefitting not only ourselves but those around us--ultimately making it the deciding factor of whether you're a hero or not. Who are you doing this for? Why are you doing it?

No, no one is perfect but with the right qualities and objectives we can all be true heroes.