What is a Superpower? Not what you may think…

What is a Superpower?  Not what you may think…

Superpowers are incredible talents that have a great impact on ourselves and others. They can create incredible change, transformation and joy.  And everyone, EVERYONE, has them.

Very few people know what their Superpower is, however, even those who are using their Superpower daily.  

So why doesn’t everyone know what their Superpowers are?  

It’s simple: our Superpowers come so naturally to us, they seem like nothing at all.

Ask someone who is great at drawing how they draw and they will most likely say, “It’s easy! I just draw.”

Yet someone who is not good at drawing will say, “It’s impossible!  I can’t even draw a stick figure!”

We discount our Superpowers because they’re easy to us. They’re completely natural.  And since we have an innate drive to use our Superpowers, we work on them without even thinking.

Have you ever known a drummer who picks up pencils and will start drumming on any surface they’re close to?  This drummer is just drumming automatically.  This isn’t hard work – it’s is expressing the inner drummer, the Superpower within.

Our Superpowers are always being used, usually lurking underneath the surface, not recognized as anything special. 

Two common misconceptions make it difficult to pinpoint our Superpower:

The first misconception is that a Superpower must be a profession.

This could not be further from the truth!  A Superpower is rarely a profession, in fact.  

Superpowers are often more subtle.  

For instance, a Superpower would not be, “I am the CEO of Apple Inc.”. 

It would be “I have a passion for helping people succeed.” Or “I love to take something on and watch it grow.” Or “I organize things in my head and I can see how businesses can work way better than they do.”

A Superpower would not be, “I’m the next Martha Stewart”. It would be, “I love to decorate spaces, creating works of art wherever I go.” Or “I love to throw parties so that people can meet each other”. Or, “I love elegant simplicity.  I live that way and I help others do that, too.”

The second misconception is that a Superpower must seem grand.

Superpowers rarely seem grand.  Isn’t that strange for such incredible power?

Superpowers are usually very simple.

“I love to sing.”

“I really listen to people.”

“I see the truth and I share that moment of truth with as many people as I can.”

“I am fascinated by volcanos and I write about them.”

“I believe in the underdog.”

And believe it or not, each of the examples above can change the world.  

So what is your Superpower?

Look to what you love to do, what are simple things that you’re naturally good at.

Those could be your Superpowers. 

Let’s go through an example. 

Raphael loves to write. He also loves to speak with people about life and how they’re doing.  He likes to speak to groups about what he’s learned in life, engaging with them so that they get value out of what he’s shared.

He currently works in sales. He’s not a high-pressure salesperson, he really loves his clients.  He takes great care of them and gets them what they need.  He’s learned a lot about them over the years and he has meaningful conversations with them. Although he doesn’t want to be in that job forever, he experiences rewarding relationships with his co-workers and clients.  This has lead to a nice job for him and he’s found his success surprising because he felt like instead of creating relationships, he should have been more focused on selling.

Just from this example, we know that Raphael loves interacting with people and making a difference.  He loves communication and he has a passion for having a high quality of life and for sharing that with others.

But what is his Superpower?

When asked if he could choose writing, public speaking, or coaching people, he said that he couldn’t choose.  

When asked what he couldn’t give up, he said something very interesting.  He said that when he wrote, spoke, or coached, he got into a state where he was really listening to people.  And when he did that, he felt calm.  Also, ideas for people just seemed to “come out of nowhere” and they were always different than what he’d normally say. 

He found that whatever form his work with people took, the one thing that was most important was his ability to shift into a receptive state in his mind and then convey precisely the advice that just came to him.

That is Raphael’s Superpower. And he uses it all of the time.  That’s how he relates to people. He listens to them and shifts his mind to be open to ideas for them.

And all the things that he’s good at are simply tools to help him use his Superpower to the fullest. 

So instead of thinking about what you want to do, instead, ask, “What ability would I never give up?”  

That’s often a question no one asks. And that usually brings you beyond what you’re good at and right to your true Superpower.