S is for Superhero!

Last month we talked about blind spots, in a couple of different ways. This month's topic, believe it or not, relates in a very specific and dramatic way.

Let me begin with an assertion that you might find hard to believe: I was born a superhero!

Waddayamean, you were born a superhero?

Okay - you think that's hard to swallow, try this on for size: you were born a superhero too!

Yup - it's true!

Let me begin at the beginning...

When I was born, I didn't know that there was anything I couldn't do. As a result, I could do anything!

I didn't know that there was such a thing as "walking," and yet in the first twelve months of my life, I learned to walk. Can you imagine starting from scratch and learning to fly? Inconceivable? Not when you were born - anything was conceivable.

And how about this - even though I had no clue about communcation and spoken language, in the first eighteen months of my life I learned to talk! Think of that - imagine meeting an alien race that communicates in an entirely different manner, and learning how to communicate that way.

When we start out, we are capable of anything - we are superheroes! For most of us, by the time we reach about two years old, we've realized the truth - we can do anything.

And then... well, then people begin to tell us about the things we should not do and the things that we can not do. It's like kryptonite - they steal our powers. We start out as infintely capable superheroes, and they turn us into ordinary mortals.

Of course, like kryptonite, if we could get away from the source of that negative energy, we could recover. But here's where the blind spot comes in - we carry that negative voice, that voice that says "you can't do that," around in our heads with us! And then we wonder why we've never managed to accomplish that goal or dream.

Blind Spot #3

If you think back, I'm sure you can find an example in your own life.

Maybe it was one of your parents who said "well, dear, I just think that you need to be [faster / smarter / stronger / more clever / thinner / prettier] to do that."

BAM!

Or maybe it was a teacher who said "Tommy, you're very good at many things, but you're not doing very well at math. So when you're thinking about what you want to be when you grow up, I wouldn't consider going into accounting or computer programming."

POW!

Or maybe the first time you tried to play softball or soccer or basketball, you felt like a klutz, a clod, a fool. And you said to yourself "I'm no good at this - I don't like feeling like this - I won't try this again!"

KA-BLAM!

And there it is - each time, you lost a little more of your powers until you gradually became just an ordinary mortal.

No more leaping over tall buildings.

No more faster than a speeding bullet.

No more being more powerful than a locomotive.

Sigh.

Those repeated exposures to the power-draining effects of kryptonite have done their job.

What Can I Do To Regain My Powers?

There's a question for you - how do you get your powers back?

Let's try a little exercise...

First, just be quiet. Listen. Find one of those voices. Maybe it's your father or mother, or your brother or sister, or a teacher, coach, guide, friend, mentor... But find just one voice. And beware - it might be your voice!

Got one? Listen to what the voice is saying. It's something like "...you can't..." or "...you shouldn't..." or "..too frightening..."

Now ask that voice these questions: "What are you doing in my head? What gives you the right to steal my powers?"

Here's another tough one for you. While the person or experience you've just found may have stolen your powers at one time, the truth is that you've been giving it/him/her power over you ever since!

Ouch. That's a hard truth to face. It's not my dad or my coach or my best friend who is stealing my power today, it's me! Because I put that voice up there and carried it around with me all this time. Uh-oh.

So it's time to ask yourself a question: "Why am I still listening to this voice?"

We each started out in life with infinite capability, unlimited desire, and total confidence. And each of these voices - people, circumstances, experiences - reduces us just a little more.

Have you asked and answered the question?

One step further... What goals or dreams have you had that you have not pursued because you listened to that voice? Yes, the voice you just identified. The voice about which you just asked yourself "Why am I still listening to this voice?" Maybe you always wanted to learn to play the piano or be a public speaker or join a choir or be a baseball player or be a manager or...

It's time to tell that voice to get out of your head!

It's time to take back your power!

It's time to be the superhero you were born to be!

It's a struggle and a challenge. Those buildings all look so tall, and those bullets all move so fast, and those locomotives are so powerful.

But once you stop carrying that kryptonite around with you, you might just surprise yourself at what you can do!

Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness,

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Steven works with entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals who want to clarify their communications and concepts so that they can dramatically increase their business profitability.

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