Superhero stories are a reflection of humanity.
We didn’t discover these stories, we invented them. As a result, these fantastic tales carry our cultures, myths, and values.
Even if you’ve never read a single comic, seen a single MCU or Star Wars movie, or walked around a ComicCon event, I think everyone can learn something about themselves through the examination of some of the meta-concepts that exist across these amazing fantasies.
Today, I want you to reflect on your own greatness so you can discover the path you’re meant to walk.
The most obvious aspect of superhero stories is the existence of superpowers.
While it’s easy to write these off as purely fiction, I think there is a direct connection to our lives on a daily basis.
I am of the belief that everyone has special abilities.
Most people have no idea what they are truly capable of and so one of the first things I do with many coaching clients, is remind them of their power.
Much like in the comics, some of our abilities may have more utility or applicability than others. This does not change the fact that everyone can do something better, or knows more about something, than most people they meet. It could be pattern recognition, verbal acuity, mathmatical ability, physical giftedness, or scores of other abilities and attributes.
But how do we know what our abilities are or whether they’re super? Further, we might want to know where these powers originate and how we might acquire new ones.
The way we come about developing these abilities can vary but usually fall into one or more of the following categories. To determine your abilities, it may help to think through these three categories to find your gifts.
Superman is from the planet Krypton. His molecular structure is different from humans, allowing him to soak in the radiation of our yellow sun and “leap tall buildings in a single bound,” or “move faster than a speeding bullet.”
Wonder Woman is sculpted from clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta and was given a life as an Amazon, along with superhuman powers as gifts by the Greek gods. (Wikipedia
Many of the X-Men, are born with genetic mutations that cause the emergence of special powers. Wolverine has a healing factor that makes him practically immortal. Storm can control the weather using her psionic abilities. And Remy LeBeau, known as Gambit, is able to charge any object with explosive energy.