Your Own Superhero
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WE seem to have this fascination with Superheroes.
Blockbuster movie franchises focus on them and in fact these movies and their derivatives become incredibly lucrative for the studios because we, the public, continue to buy into them...literally. From Ironman, Superman, Thor to Spiderman...we can go on and on and on.
I personally have a ton of Superhero T-Shirts that I wear often.
So the question is...why the fascination?
Here's the Merriam-Webster definition of Superhero:
superhero
noun su·per·hero \-ˌhir-(ˌ)ō, -ˌhē-(ˌ)rō\
: a fictional character who has amazing powers (such as the ability to fly)
: a very heroic person
Full Definition of SUPERHERO
: a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers; also
: an exceptionally skillful or successful person
Look at what these guys and gals can do. To start, as the definition states above, they have superhuman powers, some can fly, some are bullet proof, some stick to walls others have metal blades that emerge from their knuckles...you name the power and I bet there's a superhero out there that can do it.
And with those powers they try and change the world to some degree or another. They are the elite of the planet (and other planets) and rise above the seeming foibles of mortal man to heights we only dream of. They are usually admired by the masses to some degree and live what would seem like a blessed life.
Sure they get into dangerous battles with Evil Overlords and Crazed Super Villains but the superheroes usually come out on top overcoming whatever obstacles are in their paths.
So why the fascination? Well that line..."rise above the foibles of mortal man to heights we only dream of" is, to me, one of the keys to their popularity.
Take a look at this, you have a normal high school kid who is bitten by a spider and then gets superpowers, a guy the size of an ant who can do miraculous things, a hulking mass of green muscle made so by an experiment gone wrong...they come in all shapes, sizes and colors. And here's the kicker...so do we.
At some point in life I bet we all think of what it would be like to actually be a superhero or be superhuman.
"What if I could fly, if I were immortal, if I could save the world?!"
But how does this day dream translate to our real lives?
Let's face it...I don't think that I'll be manifesting flame balls from the palms of my hands in this lifetime but it's cool to think about the possibility. (Never say never, but you know what I mean).
All this to say that I think sometimes we look to these superheroes and their superpowers as answers to things in our lives with which we are unhappy. We look beyond ourselves for things to help us make our lives better.
"If only my I could just do this instead..."
"If I only had this or that, THEN things would be different..."
"If only I had been born rich..."
"If only I was taller, shorter, had a smaller nose or blonde hair..."
"If only I went to a better school..."
"If only my job paid more..."
"If only my spouse would be like this..."
"If only my parents didn't push me as much..."
"If only my parents had pushed me more..."
"If ONLY I was only doing the job I REALLY wanted to do..."
The list goes on and on and on and I bet you can add your own "If only's" to it.
The bottom line is...the truth...is that none of those things really matter. What matters is what YOU chose to DO with what you have. What ACTION will you take in your life to make it the way you want it to be.
Look at the full definition of Superhero again. The second part says:
"an exceptionally skillful or successful person"
This is the definition I like. This definition is attainable by you and by me. Some people are born into poverty and become multimillionaires and some people are born rich and end up homeless on the street. Why? What's the difference and how do these things happen?
I look at it this way: different people find the superhero in THEMSELVES.
We can become superheroes, by definition REAL superheroes. In fact innately, you already ARE. Ok so we might not be flying, or sticking to walls but you ARE a superhero. Look at what you've accomplished in your life so far.
I'd like you to take a piece of paper and write down all the accomplishments you've achieved. List at least 20 things, anything you can think of even if it seems simple or non essential and put them on a list. Things like, how many friends do you have? How many times have you helped someone? Have you done a little something extra at work or for a friend or for someone you don't even know? Helping others is a big thing folks. Small acts go a long way.
Then think about how the people you've helped might have felt after you helped them. Think of how you are better because of the actions you've taken to help others and help yourself. Think of the things you've learned from all of these actions then write those things down and really look at them.
Remember even our failures are successes for they oftentimes teach us more than our triumphs.
So whatever superpowers or answers you seek outside yourself, know that everything that you need is within you. Seek to unlock the superhero inside of yourself because it's all in there just waiting to be unleashed. And when it is...you'll be unstoppable. Think of that! Whatever you want to achieve in life is just a series of actions taken to get you there!
Your dreams will become your reality.
THIRIVE
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