Hero Rare

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YG06 EN001 Elemental Hero The Shining Ultra Rare Mint    US $10.90

Fleer Marvel Masterpiece 95 Mirage Card 1 Of 2 Ultra Rare    US $250.00

Pokemon Cards Mixed Lot Error cards Holo 1st editions 2330 cards 180 sleeves    US $225.00

Lot of 180 Pokemon Cards 3 Rulebooks    US $24.99

Lot of Rare Pokemon Cards from Various Sets    US $150.00

Huge Lot of First and Second Generation Pokemon Cards    US $200.00

Yu gi oh Elemental Hero Bladedge YSD EN019 Ultra Rare Holo VNMint    US $1.19

Yu gi oh Elemental Hero Bladedge YSD EN019 Ultra Rare Holo VNMint Shiney    US $1.19

Yu gi oh Mirror Gate TAEV EN063 Super Rare Holo 1st    US $1.19

RATTATA COLLECTION BONUS MEOWTH AND PERSIAN    US $.99

Pokemon Card Lot of 2500 From Many Sets    US $550.00

MARVEL HEROES VILLAINS SKETCH BY OWENS JACKMAN    US $126.40

x1 RARE Sabrinas Venomoth 34 132 Pokemon Card from Gym Heroes Series Mint    US $.25

Lot of 400 Pokemon cards mixed    US $40.00

1 1 2012 Sketch card Brian Kong NY Giants VICTOR CRUZ original art SUPER BOWL    US $74.99

HUGE POKEMON COLLECTION LOOK 1000 HOLOS RARES LISTED COMPLETE SETS CHARIZARD    US $1,499.99

Ran YGO Cards Lot Slifer the Sky Dragon Uria Ect    US $4.99

Ran YGO Card Lot Obelisk the Tormentor Blue Eyes Ect    US $7.50

Ran YGO Cards Lot Mirror Force Harpies Pet Dragon    US $6.99

Ran YGO Cards Lot Gateway of the Six Jinzo PSV Ect    US $6.99

Gym Heroes Pokemon Booster Box 36 Packs    US $130.00

YUGIOH RAINBOW DRAGON 1ST EDITION GHOST RARE ERROR CARD GLAS EN036    US $19.99

The Mother Load of Pokemon Cards 1000 OVER 70 HOLOGRAPHICS AND MORE    US $200.00

47 YUGIOH CARDS 1ST EDITION1996CASTLE WALLSVOLCANIC QUEENLUSTER DRAGON 2    US $1.56

HEROES ARCHIVES Limited 2 AUTOGRAPH CARDS David Anders ASHLEY CROW Variant Photo    US $9.99

HEROES ARCHIVES Relic COSTUME Card SYLAR Zachary Quinto RITTENHOUSE pieceworks    US $9.99

HEROES ARCHIVES Mohinder Suresh AUTOGRAPH CARD Very Limited SENDHIL RAMAMURTHY    US $9.99

MARVEL COMICS SUPER HEROES TOP TRUMPS 1988 Sealed Card Set of 30 German TRUMPF    US $11.95

Rare Jack Redd Sketch card Thanos vs Silver surfer Marvel heroes and villains    US $300.00

Yu Gi Oh elemental hero perfect condition    US $60.00

SUPER SCARCE 1999 HEROES OF MIGHT AND MAGIC PROMO PHONE CARD SENDAWAY RARE    US $9.99

large collection of rare original pokemon cards over 1500 in total    US $200.00

Dandylion 1st edition Secret Rare LCGX EN042 Mint Condition 13 Secret Rare    US $45.00

Topps Heroes artist NATHAN WATSON sketch card HIRO NAKAMURA played by MASI OKA    US $16.99

2000 Pokemon Card Lot Complete Base set Jungle Fossil and much more    US $400.00

CAPTAIN AMERICA First Avenger UPPER DECK Movie TRADING CARDS Sealed Retail BOX    US $19.95

Topps Heroes artist LEAH MANGUE sketch card NOAH BENNET HRG by JACK COLEMAN    US $29.99

Topps Heroes artist EDWARD PUN sketch card of ANDO MASAHASHI by JAMES KYSON LEE    US $15.99

Topps Heroes artist JAMIE SNELL sketch DL HAWKINS played by LEONARD ROBERTS    US $29.99

Topps Heroes artist MATTHEW GOODSMANSON sketch card NANA DAWSON NICHELLE NICHOLS    US $14.99

Pokemon Gym Heroes 1st Edition Booster Sealed Unopened Booster Pack from Box    US $13.00

20 full CARD SETS Star Wars ESB 3D Buffy MARVEL Harry Potter FAMILY GUY Simpsons    US $47.95

harry potter heroes and villains Authentic Costume Card 16 380    US $37.71

POKEMON BUNDLE CARDS LOT PROMO RARE HOLOS FOSSIL BASIC JUNGLE ROCKETS GYM HEROES    US $99.99

Yugioh Elemental Hero Magma Neos TAEV EN043 Secret Rare NM Unlimited    US $5.00

30 POKEMON CARD LOT 4 RARE HOLOS Base Jungle Rocket Neo GYM 1st Promo    US $9.00

Elemental Hero Neos Knight Ultra Rare Bonus Hero Cards    US $3.99

MTG Magic the Gathering 1800 cards with custom decks with 30 Mythic Rares    US $790.00

RARE HEROES 4 YELLOW VARIATIONS ERROR 84 47 59 77    US $.99

RARE TV HEROES Vol 2 CARD White Spotted VARIATION ERROR    US $.99

Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

We are a society of hero worshipers. But we have had a dearth of heroes in recent years. Most of our leaders, superstar athletes, movie starts, CEO's, presidents and senators have left us disappointed, frustrated, and disillusioned. These days, we have to look beyond the glitz of Hollywood, the weak excuses of superstar athletes, and the "spin" of politicians and CEO's to find the true heroes.

Historical research shows that heroes have consistently followed the same set of principles over the last several thousand years without even knowing it. They have left us a well-worn trail to follow by their examples. Each of them, as individual role models, have joined together to form one giant, universal role model.

Heroes have an uncanny ability to look beyond the crisis of the moment and see a purpose so big and all encompassing that they forget, momentarily, about everything else, everything - including their own interests. These are the types of people who have always been our heroes - consistently over the last several thousand of years. These are the types of heroes we need more of today.

But who are these heroes and where do you find them? It turns out you don't have to look very far.

At my Dad's recent funeral in the little town of Castroville, Texas, a man came up to me and said, "Your Dad changed my life." I was shocked.

My Dad was a typical old-style Hispanic authoritarian figure, with a jaw of stone, not prone to show great affection to anyone, including his family. He was a strong disciplinarian. We were terrified of him when we were kids. He could be harsh and cold at times, but he was still my Dad and we all loved and respected him.

He grew up in poverty as a migrant farm worker, traveling with the cotton crop harvest from season to season, living in small tent-cities with all the other migrant farm workers.

At the age of 17, he left home to join the Air Force. He did his basic training at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, like so many other enlisted men during that time. As it turned out, he had a very high IQ and became an intelligence officer, interpreting code as it was transmitted by the Russians during the cold war.

After receiving an honorable discharge from the Air Force, he went to college at the tiny Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, where he decided to study to become a preacher. During the summers, he did volunteer work in the little town of Mason, Texas.

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In that town, lived an impoverished teenage boy named Fred Zavala, who was being raised by his alcoholic grandfather in a one-room shack with no furniture in it except a rusty old bed spring. He was an outcast. One day, a skinny Bible student came to visit. The student was out to change the world, one person at a time. The student invited Fred and his grandfather to church. At first Fred resisted. But, because of the student's warm enthusiasm and zest for life, Fred eventually went to church. It was a small Hispanic Evangelical church in Mason, Texas.

At church, Fred developed a crush on a girl named Janie. But Janie's father knew of Fred's background and circumstances and was, therefore, not fond of Fred. Fred was never invited to Janie's house when her father invited other church members over for dinner after church. Instead, he would walk slowly in front of Janie's house with his head held low, his hands in his pockets, gazing longingly at Janie's house, wishing he could go in.

Eventually, as the Bible student's time in that little town was coming to end, he tried to get Fred a job so he could learn a trade and earn a living. He succeeded in getting Fred a job at an auto-mechanic shop, but things didn't work out there. Then Fred got a job hauling rocks to building sites. Every day, under the hot, burning Texas sun, Fred faithfully hauled his rocks. It was not a glamorous job. But it was a job. He looked on with fascination at the skill with which the stone-masons cut and laid the stone to build beautiful structures. He thought, "I'd like to learn to do that." He made an internal decision to learn stone masonry from the masons to whom he carried stone. By watching them and asking questions, he eventually did learn stone masonry. He pursued this craft with passion until his masterful work began to be noticed by others. His work received so much demand that he eventually started his own building business.

Over the years, he did well financially, and he eventually bought houses and land. He even married his dream girl—Janie! He also started a Mexican food restaurant across the street from the nicest steak house in town. Eventually, the steak house went out of business and the bank asked Fred if he was interested in buying the building. Fred did so and he turned the steak house into a thriving business. Now after church in Mason, Texas, most people eat at either Zavala's Mexican Restaurant or Fred's Steak House. The outcast who was rarely invited to dinner is one of the wealthiest men in town and owns two of the busiest restaurants.

How did this turn around come to be? It started with a poor, young college student with a passion for people. He saw what no one else in that little town saw. He saw riches where others saw rubble. The vision then spread and grew in the heart of a teenage boy who chose to believe in a force higher than himself and thus, came to believe in his own abilities. It happened because two unique men pursued their dreams with passion, consistent dedication, and blood, sweat, and tears. Neither Fred nor the young Bible student will ever be famous, but both accomplished their dreams. Both have lived happy, fulfilled lives. Fred obtained all he ever hoped for. The student accomplished his goals as well; he helped turn the life of a young man around from that of a poor outcast to that of a wealthy, highly respected businessman in the community. The student was my father, Daniel M. Castro. That's why Fred Zavala came up to me at my Dad's funeral and said, "Your Dad changed my life."

We can now clone animals, and we may even be able to clone human beings soon. But we can't clone character and integrity and the kind of selflessness that makes up the heart and souls of heroes. So, where will our future heroes come from? They will come from within. When we learn to see through the eyes of heroes, we will see the kinds of things heroes see. We will see riches where others see rubble. We will see opportunity where others see obstacles. We will be able to walk where heroes walk, and we will be able to act as heroes act. But first, it takes a decision. The decision behind the decision is to focus on a purpose bigger than ourselves.

When hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit, people from all over the U.S. invited complete strangers into their homes, and donated food, water, clothing, books and millions of dollars to the victims. It was a comforting reminder that if we ever suffer such a tragedy, there might be a few people out there who would come to our rescue.

When we help other people weather their storms, something unexplainable happens in the cosmos. Electricity starts to flow, we feel more energized, brain cells get more creative, people unite, hearts swell - and sometimes, just every now and then, miracles happen.

You don't have to look far to find the true heroes among us. You may not see them on TV or read about them in the newspapers. But they are out there . . . changing the world . . . one person at a time.

Dan Castro is the owner/broker of Austin Options Realty in Austin, Texas.  He is also the award-winning author of CRITICAL CHOICES THAT CHANGE LIVES.  www.greateraustinrealestateguide.com

About the Author

Professional:
Daniel R. Castro is a business litigation attorney and partner in the law firm of Castro & Baker, LLP, in Austin, Texas. Dan is an honors graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. He has spent the last 25 years mentoring teenagers and law students. Professionally, Dan has represented Fortune 500 corporations in multimillion-dollar litigation, individual corporate executives in employment disputes and small to mid-size corporations in hotly contested commercial and real estate disputes.

Aside from practicing law, Dan is also a business strategist/business consultant, helping clients to find the best strategy for starting businesses, developing business plans, building businesses and solving problems. Dan is also a professional keynote speaker and executive retreat leader and personal business coach and motivator.

Personal:
Dan has an insatiable love of history and has always gravitated toward the stories of people who seemed to prosper in the midst of crisis and adversity when everyone else around them failed. He was curious about what set these people apart and made them heroes. After he started practicing law, Dan started conducting the research that went into Critical Choices That Change Lives. His natural curiosity led him on a nine year adventure of reading volumes of biographies, academic articles, psychological treatises, magazines, newspapers, and observing people. What he discovered was that heroes are people who can literally see and hear things around them that other people cannot.

Whom do you consider to be a hero and why?

I believe the term hero is over used and needs to be re-defined. Self-sacrifice is rare and usually goes un-noticed. I am trying to see if my theory is on track or false. Off course I am hoping to be wrong.

if you define heroism around the idea of self-sacrifice, you leave out a lot of other possibly heroic attributes. But that's another discussion. For the purposes of this one, by self-sacrifice, do you mean martyrs? Or do you mean altruists?

among the martyrs on my hero list are Ghandhi (sp?) and Martin Luther King. Among the altruists, there is a woman in Kenya who has been responsible for a movement of planting millions of trees, but I keep forgetting her name. She isn't mentioned much in the world in general.

That's the problem. The people who are really doing good are behind the scenes, getting it done, and not mugging for the spotlight. So they don't get to be household names, and don't mind that at all.

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