Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, Saturday morning rituals were everything. After waking up, I needed to have everything on my checklist.
- Favorite pajamas, Check!
- Favorite cereal (Fruit Loops no debate), Check!
- TV all to myself, Check!
- Favorite cartoon, Check!
My favorite cartoon of all time was the Super Friends! Superman, Batman, Wonder Women, Aquaman, and all their friends would come together to save the day against a common enemy. Each character had a power that was unique to them. Superman had incredible strength. Batman had exceptional strategic ability and his utility belt. Wonder woman had amazing strength, her lasso, and her indestructible bracelets. Aquaman had the ability to breathe underwater and communicate with any creature in the sea. In the plot, the villain would always put our heroes in precarious situations by separating them from their powers. Only when they were able to tap back into their individual superpowers were they able to come together to overcome the situation and defeat the villain. When I reflect on this cartoon and my life experience with people, a big takeaway becomes evident. Everyone has superpowers, a talent or set of talents that makes them unique. But who would have thought that this cartoon would challenge the way we should think about how we live an inspired life? Do we know what our superpowers are? What keeps us from using our superpowers? What’s the benefit to you and others when you operate in your Superpower?
A good friend of mine from the House of Shine (https://www.houseofshine.com), Claudia Beeny, describes a superpower as the intersection between your talent (Strengths), your interests, and your needs. In a diagram, it looks like this.
I’ll use myself as an example. My talent, so I’ve been told, is my ability to communicate with others. I have always been able to use words (spoken or written) to influence others. My interests are centered around being an inspiration and helping others realize their true potential. My need is key. The need here is not something I personally need but the thing that breaks my heart and compels a “Need” to act in me. I am disheartened when others don’t have a deeper perspective of life and therefore can’t see their own potential. Put all those things together and you get this blog, “What is an inspiration?” Writing this blog is one way for me to operate in my Superpower.
You might already know your superpower, but something has been keeping you from using it. Or you may be using it but, not in a way that is fulfilling to you and others. Often its real life that keeps us away from it. Kids, jobs, parents, bills, stress, or simple being tired from it all. Despite the obstacles, it is vital that you get back to your superpower. The villains in the Super Friends cartoons deserve credit because they figured something out that we all glanced over. When you keep a superhero from using their superpower, you separate them from their energy source. Your superpower was uniquely gifted to you by God. And when you operate in your superpower, you are operating in a space that God has divinely created for you. That is your connection to your energy source. Be intentional about your time. Plan and reflect. Plan time to operate in your superpower and reflect on how fruitful that time has been.
The energy created within is a definite personal benefit from operating in your superpower. But I think there is an ultimate takeaway from the cartoon I loved so much as a kid. When we all access our unique strengths and come together, there is nothing that we cannot do collectively. Although mighty in each of their own right, it took the collective power of all the superheroes to enact change. This world is predicated on you accessing your most benevolent self and connecting it to others. By doing so you unlock the best that this life has to offer. You get to witness other people utilizing their superpower in a way that stretches you and forces you to test the boundaries of your power! That is inspiration! And after all, what is an inspiration? It’s you. It’s your life. It’s your story!
