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What's Your Superpower?
Jun 18, 2019
I often ask my clients this question. More often than not, I’m met with blank stares. Most people don’t ever think of themselves as having a superpower. Maybe the very idea violates some deep sense of humility. People don’t want to see themselves as unique or special. Isn’t that interesting? Deep down, don’t we all believe that we’re unique and special?
Maybe people’s hesitation to name their superpower is an allergy to being “better than”. Superman was, faster than the speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Heck, his very name was explicitly superior. I hate that guy. Just kidding.
I appreciate the resistance to naming your personal superpower. At the same time, I think there is tremendous value in doing it. I think there is tremendous value in even considering the question…what is my superpower? I mean really thinking about it. In the video portion I’ll explore some of the reasons why I think discovering your superpower is important. For now, let’s focus on how to go about it.
We’ll start by shifting the way we think about the word. Instead of calling it your superpower, think of it as your “unique contribution”. Does that open up anything up for you?
Most people think of superpower in the context of work, but you don’t need to limit yourself to that domain. You can think of your unique contribution in any domain of your life. Work, personal relationships, whatever. You might find that your superpower takes on a slightly different form depending on which area of your life you are considering. As you look closely you may find a common theme across all of the areas. You have to pay close attention to notice the details.
Another tip...As you think about your unique contribution, I recommend trying to get very specific. Really personalize it. Are there other people who kind of do what you do? If so, what makes your recipe just a bit different? Comparing yourself to others is helpful; not for the purpose of judging, but as a differential diagnosis. The more specific you can get when you name your superpower, the more appreciation you will have for your uniqueness.
It's helpful to remind yourself that not everyone will recognize your superpower. Yours may not be as obvious as being able to fly or being able to breath underwater. If you are not getting daily recognition you risk losing appreciation for your own superpower.
As you are trying to nail down exactly what your superpower may be, keep in mind that one of the best ways is to ask other people what they think. Sometimes other people will have a better appreciation of your superpower than you do!
That said, keep in mind, your unique contribution may be subtle. So subtle the people around you don’t notice or appreciate it. You may find that other people struggle to name your unique contribution. Feel free to help them out. First of all, you can blame it on me. Tell them you read a blog post about discovering your superpower and you’re giving it a try. Then you can help them out by saying, “I’m thinking it might be something related to XYZ, what do you think?” Allow them to fill in the details. You’ll get gold, I promise.
Discovering and claiming your superpower is one of the most powerful shifts you can do with you life. Just imagine if Superman never shared his gifts with the world.
So. What's yours?
Prosperous Journey,
-zog
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Photo credit: https://pixabay.com/users/eliassch-3372715/
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