There are 2 types of "defining moments" you may encounter during your life, and they're very different from each other.

The first is the type that you prepare for, sometimes years in advance. Your big race at the Olympics, your marriage proposal, your run for political office, etc. These are moments that define you, certainly, but these are also moments that you help define, by choosing the time, or the place, or by plotting strategies beforehand.

The second type is the one that blindsides you. You're caught by surprise, and careful preparation is replaced by sheer reflex and instinct. These are the moments that truly define what kind of person you are, and what types of values you hold dear.

Take Matthew Goff, for instance. While walking his dog in a neighborhood park, an alligator lunged out of a pond and chomped down on his dog's head. So what did Matthew do in this, a bona fide Defining Moment?

He pulled out a pocketknife, leapt into the pond, and went hand-to-hand with the gator. Matt stabbed it in the eye, after which it released the dog. Dog and master are both doing well, and the gator slunk off into the murky depths.

Consider young Matthew defined!

Thanks to CNN for bringing this to our attention.
Man stabs gator, saves dog