Superhero Psychology 101

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It just occurred to me that a lot of things that make us feel powerless leave us feeling trapped-- like we can't do anything about it like even if we wanted to? So... what is it that stops a superhero from getting some action?-- Sorry, I mean getting into action. Answer: nothing.

Superheroes, as the undisputed upper-echelon of our fantastical society, are unstoppable! They are always quick to jump into the hot seat and figure out some way of making it work in their best interest. So, for any of you who have not yet become superheroes in your own right, consider the following: nothing should stop you from living your life fully and completely in every moment that your lungs expand and contract. You know, that moment when blood vessels get all warmed and juiced up with the red stuff that rythmically flows through them oodles of times each and every day. Yes, you guessed it. I am talking about living, boys and girls.

I can't count the number of times that I have had moments of sheer brilliance that have passed me by because they've been shortly followed by heavy monologues full of excuses made from what might possibly go wrong as a result. If any of the ritualized 'talk myself out of this' behavioural pattern applies to you, I do have some good news for you... Congratulations on qualifying as a human being. It is a common bond that we all share-- no matter how many things we can think up that separate us from the other guys.

For those of you who think that the preceeding paragraph need not apply to you and your life to this point, take head. It will get you my little pretties... and your little dog to! Ah-hahahaha! (Please insert evil menacing yet campy theme music here.) And now folks... let's get back into some action.

Even if you don't even have a clue what you're doing: do something anyway! I mean, go ask a friend or a professional or someone who knows something-- even someone who knows nothing might have something useful to say about it. Being in action simply means that you're not collecting any dust.

Let's take my life, for example, I don't have any clue about living with and surviving from cancer. I have never done this before-- honest! Sure, from those early moments that my eyes reopened while I was stretched out on a hospital gernie I am sure that I had even less of a clue about what I could do; so I let nature and my medical support team take their respective courses. Wait a minute, I meant nature taking its course-- not the medical support team: I pray that they were already fully and completely qualified to do the job.

Sometimes life throws you curve balls that you can't do anything about. Whatever some people say about ducking evey 3.5 seconds to avoid being hit with something, I think we can all agree that would look pretty silly indeed. Just because you can't be in action right at that moment-- you know, the moment of coping. That magical reactive moment of 'what the ---' that always happens immediately after that moment you were least expecting... after the preceeding moment passes, you still have the larger part of the day to do something else entirely.

When I couldn't sit up straight or get in and out of my seat easily and I was tired of watching television or movies for the umpteenth time: I let myself re-discover the wonderful world of word-searches. Like a fiend, I would figure out any comfortable posture I could muster that would enable me to enjoy a fairly limited though spontaneous exercise in strategy. Even when I got to a point of mild discomfort, I would still try and push myself just a little further to complete the puzzle. In retrospect, I will offer that it's probably the smaller, simpler things in life that can at times seem to be the most freeing in the world. :-)

Now, back to my point... If you can see the 'talk myself out of this' coming: stop it in its tracks with the following query. (Hint: yes or no will do.)

1. Am I going to endanger myself or anybody else?
2. Can I figure a way out of anything that comes as a result?

I think you get the general gist of what I'm trying to say here. Do NOT let fear stop you in your tracks.

SUPERHERO code of CONDUCT*
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To be living as a superhero you must be...

• Dependable = do what you said you would do by when you said you would do it
• Objective = give up being right
• Powerful = be straight in your communication and take what you get
• Courageous = acknowledge your fear and then act
• Peaceful = giving up the 'there is something wrong here' game
• Charismatic = giving up 'in order to' and 'trying to get somewhere'
• Inspiring = share your adventures in such a way that others are touched moved and inspired by that possibility

The job of being a superhero in the making is like a well trained pair of pumps. A lot goes into wearing them day in and day out but you do it anyway. Do it with style and grace and let other people know about what makes them superly heroic to you.

Be a superhero by creating other superheroes in your midst... or... use the ever expanding power of telecommunications and the internet to make them multiply like wabbits. ;-)

* I hereby acknowledge the gods of copyright and copyright infringement. I have adapted the SUPERHERO code of CONDUCT from notes I took from a marvelous seminar courtesy of Landmark Education.

*** Mastering the art of being superly human while saving the world in the process. MDB