There’s probably a conversation you know you need to have.

You may have been thinking about it for days.

Maybe weeks.

Possibly much longer.

You’ve rehearsed it in your head.

You’ve imagined how the other person might respond.

You’ve convinced yourself the timing isn’t right.

You’ve told yourself it really isn’t that big of a deal.

So you wait.

And for a little while, waiting feels easier.

But I’ve learned something about conversations we avoid:

They rarely disappear.

They just find other ways to show up.

In our frustration.

In our distance.

In our assumptions.

In the way we respond to things that normally wouldn’t bother us.

Sometimes we call it keeping the peace.

But there’s a difference between peace and avoidance.

Peace resolves.

Avoidance postpones.

And eventually, the conversation we keep avoiding becomes harder than the conversation itself.

Here are seven things I’m learning about having the conversations that matter.

1. The Conversation in Your Head Is Usually Worse Than the Real One

We are incredibly good at predicting conversations that haven’t happened yet.

We know what they’re going to say.

We know how they’re going to react.

We know they’re going to misunderstand us.

At least, we think we do.

I’ve had conversations I delayed because I had already created the entire exchange in my head.

Then I finally had the conversation.

And it went nothing like I expected.

The problem with avoiding conversations is that we replace information with imagination.

And imagination rarely gives the other person the benefit of the doubt.

Sometimes the only way to know what someone is thinking is to ask them.

2. Avoidance Has a Cost

Not having the conversation feels free.

It isn’t.

There’s always a cost.

Maybe it’s resentment.

Maybe performance continues to suffer.

Maybe trust begins to erode.

Maybe a relationship slowly becomes more distant.

Maybe someone never gets feedback they desperately need.

Maybe you carry frustration home that should have been addressed at work.

We often avoid difficult conversations because we’re worried about what the conversation might damage.

But we rarely calculate the damage caused by not having it.

Silence has consequences too.

3. Have the Conversation Before You Create the Story

Something happens.

Someone doesn’t respond.

A commitment isn’t kept.

Their behavior changes.

And almost immediately, we begin writing a story.

They don’t respect me.

They don’t care.

They’re not committed.

They should know better.

The longer we avoid the conversation, the more convincing our story becomes.

Eventually, we’re no longer responding to what happened.

We’re responding to what we’ve decided it means.

I’ve learned to try to replace assumptions with questions.

“Help me understand.”

Those four words can save relationships.

Because sometimes the explanation is very different from the story we’ve been telling ourselves.

4. Clear Is Kinder Than Comfortable

This one has taken me time to learn.

Sometimes we avoid being direct because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.

Especially when we care about them.

So we soften the message.

We hint.

We hope they’ll figure it out.

We talk around the real issue.

Then we’re frustrated when nothing changes.

Clarity doesn’t require cruelty.

You can be direct and compassionate at the same time.

In fact, sometimes the kindest thing you can do for someone is tell them something they need to hear while there’s still time to do something about it.

Comfort protects the moment.

Clarity can protect the future.

5. Your Goal Shouldn’t Be to Win

Difficult conversations become dangerous when we enter them trying to prove we’re right.

If your goal is to win, someone has to lose.

That’s rarely a good foundation for a relationship.

A better goal is understanding.

What am I missing?

What are they seeing that I’m not?

What do they need to understand from me?

What would a healthy outcome look like for both of us?

That doesn’t mean every disagreement ends with agreement.

Sometimes it won’t.

But you can disagree and still leave with greater understanding.

The best difficult conversations don’t create winners and losers.

They create clarity.

6. Say It While Your Heart Is Still Right

There’s another danger in waiting too long.

The issue may stay the same.

But we change.

A concern becomes frustration.

Frustration becomes resentment.

Resentment changes our tone.

And suddenly, we’re having a conversation about something that happened three months ago with three months of emotion attached to it.

Timing matters.

Have the conversation while you still want resolution more than vindication.

While you can still be curious.

While you can still listen.

While you still care more about the relationship than proving your point.

Sometimes courage isn’t just having the conversation.

It’s having it early enough to have it well.

7. Some Conversations Change Everything

Not every difficult conversation ends the way we hope.

Some relationships change.

Some people disagree.

Sometimes the answer isn’t what we wanted.

But there are also conversations that repair relationships.

Conversations that save careers.

Conversations that give someone the feedback they needed to grow.

Conversations where someone finally says:

“I didn’t know you felt that way.”

Or:

“Thank you for telling me.”

Or even:

“I’m sorry.”

And you realize something.

The conversation you spent weeks avoiding took twenty minutes.

But what happened because you finally had it may last for years.

One Thought to Carry This Week

There is probably a conversation somewhere in your life that keeps finding its way back into your thoughts.

Maybe with someone you lead.

Someone you love.

A friend.

A colleague.

Or someone you’ve slowly grown distant from.

You don’t need the perfect words.

You don’t need to know exactly how they’ll respond.

And you don’t need to control the outcome.

You just need enough courage to begin.

Maybe it starts with:

“Can we talk about something?”

Or:

“Help me understand.”

Or:

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to say.”

The goal isn’t confrontation.

It’s clarity.

Because sometimes the conversation we’re most afraid to have is the one that gives a relationship the opportunity to become healthier.

This Week’s Question

Don’t just reflect on this one.

Act on it.

Ask yourself:

What conversation have I been avoiding—and what would happen if I had it this week?

Then choose the person.

Choose the time.

And start the conversation.

You may discover that the weight you’ve been carrying wasn’t the conversation itself.

It was avoiding it.

The moments no one applauds often determine the life everyone notices.

There are few places quieter than an empty hallway.

Walk through an office building before sunrise.

A school after the students have gone home.

A stadium after the crowd has disappeared.

A church after Sunday service.

Or a restaurant before the doors open.

The hallway is empty.

Silent.

Almost forgotten.

Yet I’ve come to believe that empty hallways reveal one of the greatest truths about success.

Success is built when no one is watching.

We celebrate what happens on the stage.

The promotion.

The championship.

The graduation.

The business that finally takes off.

The standing ovation.

But we rarely celebrate the empty hallways that led there.

The hallway represents all the places between where you are and where you’re trying to go.

It’s where preparation happens.

It’s where difficult conversations take place behind closed doors.

It’s where leaders stop to encourage someone after everyone else has gone home.

It’s where a parent pauses before walking into the house after a long day at work, choosing to leave the stress of the office outside so their family receives the best version of them.

No audience.

No applause.

Just character.

The hallway reminds us that our greatest growth rarely happens in front of people.

It happens between moments.

I’ve walked a lot of empty hallways in my life.

Some led to interviews I wasn’t sure I’d get.

Some led to meetings where difficult decisions had to be made.

Some led back to my office after conversations that didn’t go the way I hoped.

And if I’m honest, some of my most important leadership lessons didn’t happen inside the meeting room.

They happened in the hallway afterward.

The quiet walk where I had to ask myself:

“Did I lead with courage?”

“Did I listen more than I spoke?”

“Did I protect my ego or serve the people around me?”

Those questions don’t make headlines.

But they shape leaders.

Too many people spend their lives chasing stages while avoiding hallways.

They want visibility without preparation.

Recognition without repetition.

Influence without humility.

But every meaningful accomplishment is built on thousands of unseen moments.

The athlete trains before the lights come on.

The musician practices long before the concert.

The teacher prepares before students arrive.

The entrepreneur wrestles with uncertainty long before anyone calls the business successful.

The hallway is where consistency quietly wins.

I’ve also noticed something else about hallways.

They connect rooms.

You can’t get to what’s next without walking through them.

In life, there are seasons that feel exactly like that.

You’re no longer where you used to be.

But you’re not yet where you’re going.

It feels uncertain.

Quiet.

Uncomfortable.

You wonder if you’re making progress at all.

Maybe you’re in a hallway season.

If so, don’t rush it.

Hallways are meant to prepare us, not punish us.

They create space to grow before greater responsibility arrives.

The temptation is to run through them as quickly as possible.

The wiser choice is to learn what they came to teach.

Success isn’t determined by how you perform when everyone is watching.

It’s determined by who you become when no one is.

So the next time you walk down an empty hallway, don’t see wasted space.

See a reminder.

The life everyone admires is usually built in moments that almost everyone else overlooks.

Reflection

What “hallway” are you walking through right now, and what is it trying to teach you before you reach the next room?

This Week’s Inspiration Challenge

The next time you find yourself walking alone—through a hallway, parking lot, or quiet corridor—don’t reach for your phone.

Instead, ask yourself these three questions:

• What am I becoming?
• What am I avoiding?
• What is this season preparing me for?

You may discover that the quietest places often have the most to say.

It’s You. It’s Your Life. It’s Your Story.

Success doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from asking better questions.

Every Friday, I try to resist the urge to immediately move into the next week.

It’s tempting.

There’s another meeting to prepare for.

Another goal to chase.

Another email to answer.

Another problem waiting to be solved.

But I’ve learned that one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is the gift of reflection.

Life moves quickly.

If we’re not careful, we’ll spend years accumulating experiences without ever collecting wisdom.

Experience alone doesn’t make us wiser.

Reflection does.

Some of the most influential leaders I’ve known weren’t necessarily the smartest people in the room.

They were simply the most intentional.

They had a habit of slowing down long enough to ask themselves questions that most people never consider.

Questions have a unique way of revealing what success often hides.

They expose our motives.

Clarify our priorities.

Reveal our blind spots.

And remind us of what truly matters.

As each week comes to an end, here are the seven questions I try to ask myself.

1. Did I become better this week—or just busier?

It’s easy to confuse activity with progress.

A full calendar doesn’t always mean a meaningful life.

Busyness measures movement.

Growth measures transformation.

The question isn’t whether you worked hard.

It’s whether you became better.

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2. Who is better because I was in their life this week?

Leadership isn’t measured by how many people report to you.

It’s measured by how many people are stronger because of you.

Maybe it was a teammate.

A spouse.

A child.

A friend.

A stranger who simply needed encouragement.

Influence isn’t always visible.

But it’s always valuable.

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3. What conversation did I avoid?

Most regrets aren’t caused by the conversations we had.

They’re caused by the ones we postponed.

The difficult apology.

The honest feedback.

The words “I love you.”

The words “I was wrong.”

Courage often sounds like a conversation.

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4. What am I grateful for that I almost overlooked?

Gratitude changes what we notice.

Sometimes the biggest blessings aren’t the extraordinary moments.

They’re the ordinary ones.

A healthy family.

A quiet morning.

A shared laugh.

A safe drive home.

A second chance.

The things we overlook often become the things we miss when they’re gone.

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5. Where did my time reveal my priorities?

Our calendars rarely lie.

If someone wanted to know what matters most to us, they probably wouldn’t need to hear our words.

They could simply look at how we spent our week.

Time is one of the clearest reflections of our values.

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6. What lesson do I want to carry into next week?

Every week teaches us something.

Sometimes it’s patience.

Sometimes humility.

Sometimes resilience.

The lesson is only wasted if we fail to recognize it.

Growth doesn’t happen because life teaches.

It happens because we’re willing to learn.

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7. If this week were repeated fifty-two times, would I like the life it creates?

This may be the most important question of all.

Success is rarely determined by one extraordinary week.

It’s determined by ordinary weeks repeated consistently.

Our habits become our routines.

Our routines become our character.

Our character becomes our legacy.

The future isn’t built all at once.

It’s built one week at a time.

As another week comes to an end, don’t rush into Monday before you’ve learned from Friday.

Sometimes the greatest investment you can make isn’t working harder.

It’s thinking more deeply.

Because the quality of your life is often determined by the quality of the questions you’re willing to ask.

Reflection

Which of these seven questions challenged you the most?

Why?

This Week’s Inspiration Challenge

Before you go to bed tonight, answer these seven questions in a journal.

Don’t rush.

Don’t edit.

Just be honest.

You may discover that your greatest growth doesn’t happen during the week.

It happens when you pause long enough to understand it.

It’s You. It’s Your Life. It’s Your Story.

Leadership has a way of rewarding visible success.

Promotions.

Revenue growth.

Recognition.

Titles.

Awards.

None of those things are bad. In fact, healthy ambition often fuels growth and excellence.

But over the years, I’ve noticed something while leading businesses, developing leaders, and working alongside incredible people.

The leaders who leave the deepest impact are rarely the ones chasing attention.

They’re the ones consistently serving others.

They mentor without expecting credit.

They have difficult conversations with compassion.

They invest in people long before anyone notices the results.

Their ambition isn’t centered on building a reputation.

It’s centered on building people.

I’ve learned that ambition and calling aren’t enemies—but they are very different.

Ambition asks, “How can I advance?”

Calling asks, “How can I serve?”

The irony is that many of the leaders we admire most never set out to become influential.

They simply committed themselves to faithfully doing the next right thing.

One conversation.

One decision.

One person at a time.

Whether you’re leading a business, a family, a classroom, or a team, don’t overlook the quiet work.

The meetings no one remembers.

The coaching conversations.

The handwritten notes.

The difficult decisions rooted in integrity.

These moments rarely make headlines, but they shape cultures and change lives.

Today, instead of asking, “How can I become more successful?”

Try asking,

“Where am I being called to be faithful?”

That answer may become the foundation of the legacy you leave behind.

I’d love to hear your perspective.

What quiet act of leadership has made the biggest impact on your career?

A few years ago, I walked into a park and noticed a bench sitting by itself near the edge of a walking trail.

It wasn’t in the best location.

It didn’t overlook the lake.

It wasn’t under the shade of the large trees.

Most people walked right past it.

As I watched, dozens of people passed by without giving it a second thought.

Then an older gentleman slowly made his way toward it.

He sat down.

Pulled out a bottle of water.

And simply looked around.

For nearly twenty minutes he sat there.

No phone.

No conversation.

No rush.

Just stillness.

It struck me that the value of that bench wasn’t determined by how many people chose it.

Its purpose was fulfilled by serving the one person who needed it that day.

We live in a world that constantly measures value by visibility.

How many followers?

How many likes?

How many subscribers?

How many people noticed?

But some of the most meaningful things we do in life will never receive applause.

The parent who stays up late helping a child with homework.

The volunteer who quietly gives their time each month.

The friend who sends a text at exactly the right moment.

The leader who takes time to develop someone who may never publicly acknowledge it.

The spouse who sacrifices daily without recognition.

None of those moments make headlines.

Yet they change lives.

I’ve often found myself chasing bigger opportunities, larger audiences, and greater impact.

There’s nothing wrong with ambition.

But sometimes ambition convinces us that significance only exists on a larger stage.

The truth is that influence often happens in small places.

A conversation.

A note.

A meal shared.

A moment of encouragement.

A bench nobody wanted.

The older gentleman eventually stood up and continued his walk.

The bench remained exactly where it had been before.

Unnoticed by most.

Valuable nonetheless.

I think there is a lesson in that.

Maybe we spend too much time worrying about whether people see us and not enough time focusing on whether we are serving the people in front of us.

Purpose isn’t always found in the spotlight.

Sometimes purpose is found in simply being available when someone needs a place to rest.

Reflection Question

What is one small act of service you can offer this week without expecting recognition in return?

What Is An Inspiration?

Perhaps inspiration isn’t found in being seen by everyone.

Perhaps inspiration is found in showing up for one person when it matters most.

Anger is powerful.
Anger is loud.
Anger moves us fast.

And sometimes that speed feels like clarity. It feels like strength — like we’re finally doing something.

But when anger becomes our primary motivator, something inside us shifts quietly. Slowly. And eventually, painfully.

Anger can push us… but it can also push us into places we never intended to go.

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Anger Is a Fire — But Fire Burns Both Ways

Anger has an energy that feels motivating. It pulls you out of complacency and demands change.

But fire doesn’t care what it destroys in the process.

When anger drives you more than love, it begins burning through things you actually need:

• Your peace
• Your patience
• Your joy
• Your compassion
• Your clarity
• Your ability to respond instead of react

In the moment, anger feels empowering.
Over time, it becomes exhaustion pretending to be strength.

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When Anger Replaces Love, We Lose Ourselves

Love expands us.
Anger contracts us.

When we’re fueled by anger:

• We react before we reflect
• We fight before we listen
• We defend before we understand
• We push away the people we need
• We get so focused on proving something that we forget what we wanted in the first place

Anger narrows your vision.
Love widens it.

A narrow vision makes every challenge look like an enemy — even the ones meant to grow you.

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The Hidden Danger: When Anger Becomes an Identity

The real risk isn’t the feeling — it’s the identity formed around it.

When we begin operating from statements like:

“I’ll show them.”
“I don’t need anyone.”
“I’ll never trust again.”
“I’m done caring.”

We aren’t protecting ourselves —
we’re building emotional walls disguised as independence.

And life led from pain rarely leads to peace.

“Let anger signal you—but let love guide you.”

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Love Moves Slower — But It Moves You Further

Anger is fast.
Love is steady.

And steady is what builds a life.

Love won’t push you harshly, but it will push you truthfully.
Love won’t rush you, but it will transform you.

Anger might get you out of a situation,
but love gets you into a better one.

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Balance: Anger as a Signal, Love as the Guide

Anger should inform, not direct.

It can reveal boundaries, highlight wounds, and show you what must change.
But love shows you how to change it.

Let anger wake you up.
But let love decide where you’re going next.

Let anger start the conversation.
But let love finish it with wisdom.

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Your Story Is Too Big to Be Fueled by Pain

Your life isn’t meant to be led by the wounds behind you, but by the vision ahead of you.

The world doesn’t need a harder version of you.
It needs a truer version of you.

A version led by:

• Purpose
• Compassion
• Self-awareness
• Joy
• And most importantly… love

Because anger is the spark —
But love is the lasting light.

Love is the inspiration. After all what is an inspiration? You. Your Life. Your Story.

Let me know in the comments what inspirational topics or content you would like me to cover.

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Fairy tales aren’t just stories we heard before bedtime. They are blueprints for becoming. They teach us how to navigate the unknown, how to face the dark forest, how to listen to our intuition, and how to believe in something more powerful than fear. Fairy tales matter because they remind us who we can become when we choose courage over comfort.

But to understand why these stories still speak to us—long after childhood—we have to look at their anatomy. A fairy tale isn’t simply about magic, castles, or a mythical villain. It’s about the human journey, stripped down to its emotional core.

Below is the anatomy of a fairy tale and how each part reflects your own story—your life as its own heroic journey.

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1. The Ordinary World: Where You Begin

Most fairy tales start with simplicity: a cottage, a village, a tiny kingdom. The hero or heroine is usually unaware of their power.
This is you before the challenge.
This is your “normal,” your comfort zone.

But life does not let us stay there forever.

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2. The Disturbance: The Moment Everything Changes

A curse.
A disappearance.
A calling.
A door that wasn’t there yesterday.

In your life, this is the loss, the disruption, the opportunity, or the unexpected shift that pushes you out of the familiar. It’s the moment you didn’t ask for—but needed.

Fairy tales remind us: the disturbance is the doorway.

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3. The Threshold: Crossing Into the Unknown

Heroes rarely want the journey. They hesitate. They doubt. But they go anyway.

This is your moment of decision—the second you choose to step forward even when your hands are shaking.
Every story changes the moment you say, “I’m ready.”

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4. The Trials: Where You Are Shaped

In fairy tales, these look like enchanted forests, riddles, ogres, witches, and impossible tasks.

In life, they are setbacks, unexpected obstacles, self-doubt, and lessons disguised as delays.

But here’s the truth: trials don’t test you—they train you.
They reveal qualities you didn’t know you possessed: resilience, intuition, courage, endurance, clarity.

This is where your character is forged.

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5. The Helpers: Allies on the Journey

A talking animal.
A fairy godmother.
A mysterious stranger.
A friend who shows up at the perfect moment.

Your helpers are the mentors, friends, partners, and even brief encounters that shift your path. Inspiration often arrives through others—sometimes in whispers, sometimes in lightning bolts.

The lesson? You were never meant to do this alone.

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6. The Transformation: Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be

Every fairy tale reaches a point where the hero steps into their true power.
It is never about changing into someone else—it’s about returning to who they really are.

Your transformation may look like healing old wounds, setting boundaries, pursuing a dream, stepping into leadership, or reclaiming your voice.

Transformation isn’t magic.
It’s the moment your inner world changes—and your outer world responds.

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7. The Return: Bringing the Treasure Home

The hero returns not to be celebrated, but to contribute—to share what they learned, who they became, what they discovered.

In your life, this is the moment you model strength for others, pour into your community, or inspire someone who is earlier in their journey.

Your story becomes someone else’s lantern.

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Why Fairy Tales Still Matter

Because they remind us that:

✨ Every life has a dragon to face.
✨ Every person has hidden magic.
✨ Every challenge is a call to become more.
✨ Every journey shapes you into a hero of your own story.

Fairy tales are not fantasies—they are metaphors for the real, raw, transformative experiences we live every day.

Your life is a fairy tale.
Your story matters because you matter.
And someone, somewhere, needs the wisdom you’re gathering right now.

So keep going.
Keep growing.
Keep turning the page.

Because what is inspiration?
You. Your life. Your story.

Recently, I was up for an opportunity that I had set as a major goal, and I didn’t get it. I think many of us have been there: setting a goal with high hopes, pouring our energy into achieving it, only to fall short. It was disheartening, and the sting of the failure was overwhelming. I was angry. I was frustrated. Ultimately, I was hurt! My feelings were all over the place and confided in a close friend and mentor.  He asked a simple question and made a simple statement. Do you choose control or do you choose growth?  You can’t have both! What if we could shift our focus from the disappointment of not achieving a goal to the opportunity for growth that lies within it? By choosing growth over control, we can transform setbacks into steppingstones and setbacks into new beginnings.

The Allure of Control

It’s natural to crave control.  We all set goals to achieve a sense of order and accomplishment. Control feels comforting because it implies predictability and success. When we don’t reach our goals, it can feel like our world has unraveled. We might question our abilities, wonder where we went wrong, or even feel like giving up. This reaction stems from our desire to control outcomes and avoid failure.

The Power of Growth

Growth, on the other hand, is about embracing the journey. It’s about learning from our experiences, no matter how they turn out. When we shift our focus from control to growth, we begin to see failures not as endpoints but as valuable lessons. Here’s how to make that shift:

1. Reflect Without Judgement: Take a moment to analyze what happened without self-criticism. What were the factors that contributed to the outcome? What can you learn from this experience? This reflection isn’t about blaming yourself but understanding the variables at play.
2. Adjust Your Approach: Use what you’ve learned to refine your strategy. Maybe your goal was too ambitious, or perhaps there were external factors you hadn’t considered. Adjusting your approach doesn’t mean giving up; it means evolving.
3. Celebrate the Small Wins: Even if you didn’t achieve your ultimate goal, recognize and celebrate the progress you made. Small victories are milestones in their own right and indicate that you’re moving forward.
4. Cultivate Resilience: Embracing growth fosters resilience. Each setback you encounter becomes a lesson in perseverance. With each challenge, you build the mental and emotional strength needed to tackle future goals.
5. Seek Feedback and Support: Sometimes, an outside perspective can offer invaluable insights. Reach out to mentors, colleagues, or friends for feedback. They can provide guidance and encouragement that can help you see the bigger picture.
6. Focus on the Process, Not Just the Outcome: Rather than fixating solely on the end result, find joy in the process of working towards your goals. Embrace the skills you’re developing and the experiences you’re gaining along the way.
7. Redefine Success: Understand that success isn’t just about achieving a specific goal. It’s also about personal growth, learning, and resilience. Redefining what success means to you can help shift your focus from control to continuous improvement.

Embracing a Growth Mindset

Choosing growth over control is about adopting a growth mindset. Carol Dweck, psychologist and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, describes this mindset as the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. By embracing this mindset, you’ll approach challenges with curiosity and optimism, rather than fear and frustration.

In conclusion, missing a goal is not a failure but a chance to grow. By focusing on what you can learn from the experience, adjusting your approach, and celebrating your progress, you turn setbacks into opportunities. Embrace the journey, cultivate resilience, and redefine success in a way that honors your efforts and potential. Remember, growth often comes from the most unexpected places, and your journey is far from over.

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!