A few years ago, my oldest daughter, who frankly might be the kindest person on the planet, was down on herself. In an attempt to build her confidence, I shared a metaphor about the invisible super powers I believe we all have. The trick is for each of us to identify ours. One you determine it, you need to practice it. Hone it. Own it.
It started out as a confidence builder, in language that a child would relate to. In reality and retrospect, I believe it applies to all of us too. Each of us has a super power. The trick is teasing out exactly what it is. Here’s the thing… I’m a firm believer that anyone is fully capable of accomplishing anything he or she wants to in life, no matter where the starting place. But you have to understand your strength - or your super power - to dig in and start to build. If you can find that one nugget; that one area of that makes you special in a way that is uniquely you, you’re golden. It’s not that that power will get you what you desire. But it will help you build your confidence to aid you believing in that you are capable of achieving that which you set out to do.
It took me a long time to figure out what my power was. I think I’m actually fortunate enough to weave two together. Fearlessness and street smarts.
I was born into a really accomplished family. And I’ve chosen to work in environments where I am surrounded by incredibly gifted people. Talented in areas that I am not, I am frequently left feeling as though my smarts and talents are sub-par compared to others in the room. When I was younger, that was intimidating and made me feel lousy. Now, I’m so over it. Why? Because I’ve come to terms with the fact that while I may never be the smartest one in the room, I’m almost always the savviest. Over the years I’ve developed keen street smarts honed from years of working with different kinds of people. From doing and seeing it all. From being open minded to see all possibilities. So while I may not understand the details of source code, I do know people, what they deal with daily, and how they deal with their world around them. I listen and adapt accordingly.
To partner with these “street smarts,” I’ve become fairly fearless as well. I could be described strong willed. I’m fearless about sharing my point of view. It’s taken confidence and a history of results to be able to continually put myself out there like that. But by blending those two together, I’ve built a reputation of being able to pull it off. People come to me for a straight answer. A fair and balanced perspective. A reality check.
Knowing these are my powers makes me feel like I have an invisible cape. One that allows me to have strength, and allows me to summon these powers when necessary.
My daughter is still trying to identify her power. I think many people go through life not realizing the have one. I think that’s really sad. People spend so much time picking themselves apart, they don’t invest the time to figure out what makes them truly unique. When you understand that thing, that super power, that gives you something to build from when the chips are down, All you need is one special thing to build from. That’s it. Just start with one and thing and build from there.
So after you read this, spend a moment and think about your own super power. Do you use it regularly? Do you find ways to exercise it often? Do you feel good about yourself when you use it? I hope so. And for the record, my cape is Red…
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