Searching for My Superpower
Blank. My head filled with white space. When a friend who is a coach asked me what my superpower was, I felt like a deer in headlights. Frozen. Incapable of thought. My brain scrambled, tossing around adjectives. I just said something that made people laugh—so am I quick-witted? Hardly. My aunt called me brilliant. I don’t think so. I‘m good at connecting people, places, jobs, and information—but is that a strength or just something I do?
Everyone needs a superpower so we can feel confident in ourselves. It’s a strength we can build upon and it helps us identify and become secure in our abilities. “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit,” stated E.E. Cummings. The mere act of finding a superpower and acting on it can be transformative.
The hard part is finding one that fits a person’s personality and strengths, and one that is purposeful and fun.
The world in general is infatuated with superheroes with superpowers. I think that might be because at some level, people realize they have the ability to be much more than they are allowing themselves to be. Children in particular embrace these characters and their extraordinary skills—maybe because kids have an invincibility about themselves that adults have long since left behind?
I’ve always struggled with identifying and acknowledging my strengths, yet I can easily list all my many weaknesses. If you don’t know where you are strongest then you may have trouble aligning with your best skills and may miss developing essential skills for the future. Research shows that people who use their personal strengths in new and unique ways are much happier and less likely to be depressed. Some describe a superpower as your contribution—the role you were put on this earth to fill. It’s what a person does better than anyone else.
Getting to know and accept your character strengths can not only increase your happiness, but also improve physical health. In one study, a group that was asked to list their character strengths and then put them into action had a more positive outcome than a group who was not asked to identify character strengths.
Among our skills, experts say, we usually have a dominant gift—an attribute or ability that is stronger than the rest. A superpower.
My friend suggested a few ways I could identify my superpower. She told me to make a list of things I do well; remember my proudest accomplishments; ask people who know me well; and follow the flow. Notice what feels effortless—what gets me into the zone or when I lose track of time. When you are doing something in which you have a deep interest, it feels good and you probably are using your superpower.
Superpowers are born through a combination of passion and mastery said Danny Gutknecht, co-author of Meaning at Work and its Hidden Language. He says passion not only makes you happy by motivating you but also makes you want to do more, even if it means hard work or sacrifice.
Job interviewers often ask you to talk about your superpower. They are said to be testing your creativity and ability to think on your feet. Superpowers are often thought to be those traits held by superheroes—e.g., the ability to fly, invisibility, telepathy, or to be psychic. But there is a more practical way to view our dominant ability: a superpower equals strength in life.
I would love to be able to fly. Not only would I get a chance to go anywhere I wished, but I could also see things from a new, broader angle. I could see the big picture. Could this be a superpower—my ability to see things from different perspectives?
Many use their superpower to successfully choose their careers. “The superpower I’ve always wished for is invisibility, and I chose my vocation accordingly. A novelist gets 140,000 words per one tiny author photo. That’s a visibility ration I can live with,” said author Barbara Kingsolver.
TV character Shawn Spenser from the series Psych uses his superpower to create his dream job in which he excels. He notices details no one else sees and is able to recall them as needed. After floundering from job-to-job, Spenser found his niche as a consultant who helps police solve crimes by pretending to be a psychic.
Unlike Shawn Spencer or Barbara Kingsolver, I need to do more soul searching to uncover my superpower. However, just focusing on trying to identify my strengths has given me new insights into my true self. ▼
Pattie Cinelli is a health and fitness professional and journalist who focuses on holistic ways to stay healthy and get fit. She can be reached at: fitmiss44@aol.com.