Climb That Mountain-To The Finest Hour

James Thurber first published The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in 1939, loosely based on his friend Walter Mithoff.

The story revolves around Walter Mitty, who drifts into fantasies about himself: a US pilot, a surgeon, an assassin testifying in a courtroom, and a Royal Air Force pilot volunteering for a secret suicide mission.

Mittyesque is a derivative word in the English language describing a heroic daydreamer who lets life and the real-world pass by.

Walter Mitty uses his imagination to escape from his mundane existence, and his domineering wife. His creative fantasies help embellish his life to feel more exciting than it is.

In reality, Mitty is neither successful nor exciting. The underlying theme of the story questions the notion of success and failure. Walter retreats to his internal self because of an inability to fulfill and live successfully in his external life.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is James Thurber’s most famous story. Danny Kay starred in the 1947 movie based on the story. The 2013 remake was voted as Ben Stiller’s finest movie role.

All of us recognize Mittyesque moments in our lives, the dreams and ambitions to never materialize. Everyone entertains a desire, whether it is to play tennis or the violin, it’s part of our thoughts.

But how many take actions to materialize those longings, while most of us invent excuses, stopping us from taking action.

If we were to pin a definition to what self-esteem means, it may be found in the words of Sir Winston Churchill. “To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered a chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”

Does that mean waiting a lifetime for those “special moments”? Or does the dawn of each new day “offer a chance to do a very special thing”?

Robert Plant, the singer of Led Zeppelin, once said, “The past is a stepping stone, not a milestone.”

Each day has the potential to be our finest, a moment befitting our unique talents.

True self-esteem is not only knowing this, but believing it.