The Essential Superpower to Cultivate to Get the Most Out of Life
When I start working with clients, I ask them some questions about a challenge they have successfully overcome in the past.
Their answer holds the essence of their superpower. This shines through as they adopt new habits and make changes to existing habits that don't serve them.
Your superpower is your key strength which you lean into when you encounter a challenge. Your superpower is what sees you through tough times, what you turn to without even thinking about it.
Here are some examples:
Susan completed a difficult month-long hike under arduous conditions with a wearisome companion. Her superpower was persistence and determination. This same superpower saw her through the process of changing her sleep schedule in order to overcome insomnia. Even when she didn't see progress at first, she doubled down, kept going, and eventually was rewarded.
Ann had followed a structured dietary program and lost weight. She trusted the rigorous process, and in herself to see it through. Her superpower was trust - in the process and in herself. This superpower helped her overcome insomnia. She applied the practices I guided her through to deal with struggles that had previously kept her awake.
Sometimes a superpower can be a liability.
Your superpower is the default strength you turn to no matter what. Sometimes we apply our superpowers towards a purpose it doesn't ideally serve. A given superpower may not be the best tool for the job. In such a case your superpower can then become a liability. Sometimes a superpower can even be a saboteur.
For example, Joan's superpower was tremendous willpower to overcome great odds. When she tried to apply this to getting better sleep, it backfired. Sleep doesn't respond to willpower when applied directly. You cannot “will” yourself to sleep. In fact, that is the last thing you should be doing with sleep. Sleep is about surrender, letting go. This is the opposite to using willpower.
Joan was able to use her superpower, but towards something else instead.
In order to get great sleep she needed to apply her willpower towards sleep habits and mental habits. She had to let go of applying her willpower towards trying to get to sleep and to direct it to where it was most helpful.
What is your superpower?
How do you use it? In what context does it best serve you? Are there times when you apply it to the wrong job and it backfires?
So, what is the ESSENTIAL superpower?
The essential superpower is knowing your superpower and when to apply it.
Watch yourself in action. Notice what you do consistently when you tackle a challenge. Notice when you are successful by using your superpower and when you need redirect it, or even to let it go. When are you overusing your superpower?
It is this level of self-awareness that is the essential superpower.