“There is a coward and a hero within each of us. Fear awakens the coward while courage awakens the hero within.”
– Erwin McManus
Superman knows he can fly. He knows what happens when he transforms from Clark Kent in that phone booth. The cape, the spandex, the speedo on top of the spandex. One foot out of the phone booth (if you were born after 1990, goggle “phone booth” and it will make more sense), and He is flying sky high. He knows that he can fly.
Superman is very aware of what can destroy him: kryptonite. I have never seen or read about him flying towards kryptonite or spending time wondering how you can overcome it. He doesn’t try to defeat kryptonite; he just flies higher. You and I are much different. We try to overcome things we are terrible at. For some of us, that kryptonite manifests itself in toxic relationships, or some of us are bad with finances and should let someone else handle the budget side of the business for us.
Think of it this way: Do you want a doctor who is the best brain surgeon there is, or an awesome landscaper who decided to be a mediocre brain surgeon? In this month’s journaling exercise, we challenge you to “Identify your Weaknesses.”
Growing up, I was all about Spiderman. I remember my Mom making my first Halloween costume of Spiderman. I was pumped when they did the first reboot of the Spiderman series. When Spidy said, “With great power comes great responsibility” I was blown away. That moment the web wonder made it clear. We all have gifts and talents that no one else does.
One of my favorite leaders, John C. Maxwell, breaks it down like this, “Focusing on weaknesses instead of strengths is like having a handful of coins – a few made of pure gold and the rest of tarnished copper – and setting aside the gold coins to spend all your time cleaning and shining the copper ones in the hopes of making them look more valuable. No matter how long you spend on them, they will never be worth what the gold ones are. Go with your greatest assets; don’t waste your time.”
You can either spin your wheels and waste your time trying to refine stuff that will never be gold, or you can just take those skills that you have and focus on them. In this month’s journaling exercise, we also challenge you to “Focus on your Strengths.”
Now that you have honed in on identifying your strengths and weaknesses, you can get to work on making those passions a reality. The legendary Bob Dylan made it so clear when he said, “A hero is someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.”
You were put on this planet with a purpose and given skills, gifts, and talents to make the world a better place. So many of us get stuck in “Heroes Anonymous” where we don’t believe in those powers we have been given. The image of heroes with amazing powers that aren’t being used in a circle in metal chairs.
Here is the bottom line: you have something to offer the world that no one else does. We are just waiting for you to share it with us. This month’s final journaling exercise we also challenge you to “Act on your Passions.”
That superhero power and that fatal weakness can only work for you if you identify what it is. Schedule some time to take one of those creative dates with yourself. Go somewhere that inspires you (we are talking about a park bench you love, not the Eiffel tower here); spend some time asking those hard questions and identifying your strengths and weaknesses.
