Discovering Your Superpowers
You are a superhero.
I know, it may be hard to believe. But it’s 100% true. You are! You just may not have identified your superpowers, yet.
See, the truth is, we all have superpowers that we’re often not even aware of and that have the power to change the world.
They allow each of us to authentically contribute to the world in ways that nobody else can.
Another really cool thing about superpowers? Studies have shown that people who use them are happier, less stressed, more fulfilled, and more productive in their work and lives.
How cool is that!?
So, how do you unearth these superpowers and start to know what yours are?
That’s what I’m here to share with you today.
What is a Superpower?
A superpower has 4 parts.
Strengths - These are your natural abilities. A superpower is not a strength, but your strengths are one part of your superpower. If you feel stuck identifying your strengths, assessments like VIA Character Strengths are designed to tell you something about what your natural strengths are.
Skills - This is the knowledge you have. Skills are the things you have learned to do. You can be good at something and love doing it, or you can be good at something and hate it. You have preferred skills and burnout skills. To determine your superpower, it’s important to concentrate on the skills you love to use, and it can be very worthwhile to identify those things that burn you out.
Values - These are what is important in your life and career. Understanding your core values helps guide you to know when you are out of alignment or out of integrity with what you most deeply believe and hold to be true.
Personality - This is about how you are wired and uniquely look at the world, I find the Meyer-Briggs Temperament Index (MBTI) a great place to get deeper information on my unique personality type. Again, this is only one component of your superpowers.
When you combine these elements, you start to see how you and ONLY YOU possess these superpowers.
Identifying Your Superpowers
Digging into a deeper understanding of each element of your superpowers is important to be able to identify them. Below are some exercises to help you work on this identification process.
STRENGTHS: A fun way to start to understand what strengths you possess is to take a look at your childhood. What was most fun to you at age 5? 8? 10? 12? What was it about those activities that made them so fun? Which strength area does this tap into (Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, or Transcendence)?
SKILLS: Doctor Who is quoted as saying “Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It’s not the time that matters, it’s the person.” Taking a look at time is a great way to tap into your preferred skills. Think about what you were doing the last time you lost track of time. What holds your interest so long that hours feel like minutes? What skills are you using during those times? Were you alone or was someone else involved?
VALUES: If I had a magic wand and could suddenly give you one of the following superpowers, which one would you choose?
Invisibility
Superhuman strength
Flying
Shapeshifting
Super speed
Super senses
Mind Control
Telekinesis
Teleportation
Regenerative Powers
Hulking Out
Elemental control
Indestructibility
Animal Transformation
X-ray vision
Phasing (like a ghost)
Time Warping
It’s kind of fun to think about it, and in this case, it serves a purpose! What would you do with your superpowers? How would you use them? What values does this uncover? What is most important to you that you value over all else?
PERSONALITY: When we talk about personality, sure it’s important to deeply understand who you are and what makes you tick. The MBTI is a great place to start with that. And, another way to think about your personality is to ask yourself “What makes me weird or unique?” When we embrace our weirdness we open ourselves up to more happiness, more contentment and even more success. When you begin to cherish what is unique - or weird - about yourself, the world will have an opportunity to meet you where you are - in your zone of genius.
Start by making a list of 2-3 things that make you “weird”. Now, take a look at your list and consider the following questions:
Do you nourish or restrict these in your daily or work life?
Do you feel a need to make any changes? If so, what could be these changes?
Creating Your Unique Superpower Statement
Now it’s time to pull all of the information together so you can begin to amplify it in your work and life. This takes a bit of wordsmithing and playing with… but the idea is to take the concepts you explored in defining your strengths, skills, values and personality and creating a superpower statement for yourself.
For example, when I did this exercise, I recognized my strengths fell into the Humanity bucket. My skills involved using my imagination, creativity and analytical nature. My values were about freedom, love and joy. My personality reflected someone who insists on sampling from the buffet of life. So, my superpower statement became: I use my imagination, creativity and analytical nature to invite in feelings of freedom and joy as I sample everything life has to offer and encourage and support others to do the same.
What’s Next?
Now that I have my superpower statement, I have a place to center and ground myself around. I know what’s important for me to have in my life, and I know how I want to show up most authentically in order to make a difference in the world.
By using your superpowers regularly with intention, can open yourself up to professional and personal opportunities that wouldn’t have otherwise been there. And, at the very least, you’ll make a positive difference in the world doing something that makes you feel good.
Want More?
If you’re interested in diving deeper into understanding your superpowers and having a holistic view of who you are, how you can most authentically show up in your work and life, and how you can make the biggest difference in the world with more ease, I encourage you to check out my supported self-study course, Synergy Style or reach out to being your work with me one-on-one.
