I DIDN’T GROW up wanting to be a superhero.
The cape, the special powers, the skin tight outfit…they were fun, but always a fantasy, separate from real life, the right now.
Right now, life is happening. And just like back then, all I have at my disposal are my human powers. Like the ability to sometimes leap over small doubts, the power to turn green (with envy) when I feel I’m not succeeding, and the letter emblazoned on my chest is a big ‘F’, for Fragile. I do my best to keep that hidden.
Let’s not forget the gadgets! For the everyday human like me, there’s a smartphone, which is pretty darn super. It can answer questions on demand, and also get you out of sticky situations.
But what if you wanted to be a real superhero?
All you need to do is to master superhero traits that make you super:
1) Courage
You know that friend who’s always coming around, asking you to do stuff but then disappears till he/she needs something again? When they come around next time, say ‘no’ (in one version or another) and hold your ground. That takes courage, even in the face of fear. That is a superhero trademark.
2) Strong moral code
Ever notice how superhero stories are more about them helping others despite all the fighting with their foes? That’s what makes them super – the lives they save, the good they do. That is their purpose.
Like it or not, life will (generously) present you with the opportunity to deal with your own “foes”. To hone your superpowers, you’d be best served focusing more on solving problems and doing good. As for dealing with foes, I like what Jon Acuff recommends in his book, Do Over: foes confirm our innermost fears, which is why we hang around them (at work or in our personal lives), so keep your distance.
Chances are your foes are not really trying to kill you (hopefully), so focus more on doing good than fighting the bad.
3) A Fighting Spirit (aka, persistence in the face of failure)
Letdowns. Disappointments. Low points. We all have them. Failure is the F word everyone hates. What’s even harder is to keep going in the face of failure.
If you’re going to be a superhero, you will have to find a way to keep going. This superpower is especially special. It takes both courage and focus, but it’s greater than the sum of its parts.
Of all the superpowers, this will serve you the longest. So start small, and keep going.
4) A sense of responsibility
Every superhero comes to the realization, at one point or another, that it is up to him or her to save the day. They don’t wait around for someone else, or ask for permission.
To be a superhero, you don’t have to save the world. What you CAN do, is own up to spinning your own web, to taking charge of (saving) your own life. Blaming someone else, or waiting for them to save you…well, I’ve never seen a superhero do that. Have you?
5) Intelligence
But I can’t fly! Or read minds! That’s what you’re thinking, I know. You want the cool stuff.
Um, I don’t have a good answer for that.
In consolation, I offer you the superpower of intelligence. Not the one-track kind of good grades, but the kind that really matters. One that involves creativity, health, and abundance. For this, I defer you to James Altucher. His daily practice propelled him from failure after failure to success after success. It’s pretty super, I tell you.
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You’d think the list would be longer, but here’s the secret – if you were to master these a tiny bit every day, you’d find your superpowers growing. Try them on for a just a bit, say 10 seconds. A few seconds is a great benchmark, and an easy place to start.
However, I must caution you: with great power comes great responsibility. You have to be careful how you use it, and I urge you to use yours for good rather than evil.
After all, we want the good guys to win, don’t we?
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