Your Superhero Powers

Today seemed to be a day that I heard the same words over and over, “with the economy like it is, you can understand why I… (fill in the words of choice; examples: needed to, couldn’t, or haven’t been able to).” Almost everyone I talked with today had a version of economic woes, definitely more than I remember hearing in one day. And that led me to think about one of the most important qualities every Super Hero possess…Attitude!

Sure Super Heroes have their problems just like everyone else. But when times get tough (like our current economy) they put all their concerns aside and focus on the job at hand. They never give up and they never let the bad guy (bad economy) get them down. Thoughts take the path of least resistance, and if we listen long enough to everyone telling us why the economy stinks, we’ll create our own version of misery. On the other hand, if we are focusing on what we can create and what we want, then we’re the person who inispires others to take heart and struggle along against the bad guys, or the bad economy, in this instance.

Super Hero qualities aren’t born, they’re made; it’s the ability to monitor what you’re thinking and keep focused on what you want to accomplish. If you wonder what you believe, just look to see what you’ve got; how happy you are, and what you focus on during your day.

Not happy with what you believe? Then it’s time to stop going along with all the naysayers and start down another path. Have you ever noticed that when one person looks up ever passerby starts looking up to see what’s there. And the Super Hero who starts focusing on what’s right about the economy, what is happenign that’s good, will draw people just as easily.

So an exercise for the week (as if you didn’t have enough to do, right?) This is actually kind of fun, and very productive. Think of two people you really admire and figure out one Heroic quality each possess. The quality could be tenacity, an ability to inspire others with kind words, an ability to not react during confrontation, an abilty to relate to anyone and communicate effectively, etc. Just pick two. Now, all week, focus on those two qualities when you’re out and about in the world. Others won’t see your cape and tights but your impact could be just as powerful. Ignore the naysayers who whine about 10 more years of poverty, smile at the person who won’t buy a box of Girl Scout cookies because the economy could impact her next year, and just keep on focusing.

Again, Super Heroes are the every day people who have their own problems like the rest of us, but who also know everything is about choices. We can choose not to choose and complain a lot, or we can choose to have more fun in our day by focusing on what we have instead of what we don’t have. It can make a world of difference!