What Will You Do With Your Superpowers?

If right now you could have any superpower possible, what would you choose?  Would you fly like Superman? Perhaps you would pick super strength like Hulk so you can move that car out of the parking place you want. Better yet, how awesome would it be to have the speed of The Flash so you don’t even need a car? Free your  imagination and envision what it would be like if only you could…Now, would you think me crazy to suggest that superpowers are real? I believe you do have a superpower. Actually, I believe we all have at least one superpower within our reach. Not exactly the kind of superpower of comic books and Marvel movies, but a real super power that makes you incredibly unique and gives you a competitive edge. Your superpower is connected to your WHY. The unique purpose for your existence. Whether you know it or not, you have a purpose. Zeroing in on your purpose not only sets the course for your life, it activates your superpower and enables you to accomplish more than others think humanly possible. You become a world changer. Here are five of my favorite Superpowers of WHY.

FOCUS

While focus is not quite like X-ray vision, it’s mighty close. Focus may not allow you to see through buildings, but it does allow you to cut through the clutter and find your way through the fog. Our world has more clutter than ever before.Here’s a small sampling of what happens every minute of the day on the Internet:

400 hours of new video are added to YouTube

350,000 Tweets

2.5 million likes of Instagram posts

4 million Facebook posts are liked (that’s nearly 6 Billion every day)

4 million Google searches

You can view the data here.

In addition to that, over 4 million texts are sent every minute in the US alone.And you wonder why you feel overwhelmed?Many people feel compelled to stay abreast of ALL of the current information. In today’s world, that’s impossible.[clickToTweet tweet="Want to unlock the superpower of FOCUS? Activate your WHY and you will." quote="When your WHY is activated, you discover an ability to focus. "]Suddenly you find the clutter clearing, the fog lifting, and you filter out the important from the trivial. No longer are you trying to stay on top of everything, but only those elements that are essential to your WHY. Your WHY serves as a filter that helps you focus on what matters most. To you.

MOTIVATION

Millions of people muddle their way through most of their life longing for what’s next. It  might be the next weekend so they can binge on their favorite sport, leisure activity, or entertainment option. Others eagerly await their next exotic vacation. Their lives are always lived in anticipation of what’s next, not what’s now.That’s no way to live. It illustrates what Gail Hyatt said,

People lose their way when they lose their why.

And when you’ve lost your why (or never discovered it in the first place), you zig and zag through life similar to the way a pinball bounces from one bumper to the next. Without your WHY, it’s easy to be aimless and listless. Activating your WHY establishes your direction and destination. Clarity about your direction and destination provide energy and excitement that get you up each morning with a sense of purpose and a meaning to the now as well as the next.[clickToTweet tweet="When you pair #focus and #motivation the sky’s the limit to what you will accomplish." quote="Talk about a dynamic duo -- when you pair focus and motivation the sky’s the limit to what you will accomplish."]

ATTRACTION

Several years ago before we lived in Atlanta, Gwen and I were driving through Atlanta and scanning radio stations. We stumble upon an interview where a guy named Philip was talking about SafeHouse Outreach, a newly formed nonprofit helping women escape sex trafficking. That conversation caught our attention and we were both deeply moved. I still remember looking at Gwen and saying, “I’ve got to meet that guy.” Why? Because his WHY pulled me into his orbit. I was captivated by his WHY and his passion for it. Fast forward a few years. By that time we had moved to Atlanta and one day my path and Philip’s crossed at a “chance” meeting. The attraction of that WHY pulled me as powerfully then as it had years earlier listening to that radio interview. I approached Philip to learn more about his WHY and his organization. Since that first meeting we’ve become great friends and collaborators. In that time, I’ve seen hundreds of people (and millions of dollars) attracted by the power of his WHY. It truly is a superpower.But Philip is not the only one with that superpower. I’ve observed it thousands of times in the 15 years that I’ve worked as a leadership consultant and coach. Leaders who possess a powerful WHY consistently attract the top talent, brightest minds, and abundant resources.[clickToTweet tweet="Your WHY shines like the beacon of a lighthouse and illuminates the way for others. " quote="Your WHY shines like the beacon of a lighthouse and illuminates the way for others. "] Attraction is indeed a superpower and it is even more powerful when it is coupled with connection. Attraction is indeed a superpower and it is even more powerful when it is coupled with connection.

CONNECTION

Today, perhaps more than ever, people long for connection. Genuine, authentic connection. The ability to form connections is a superpower, especially for those who can do it quickly. The language of WHY is a rich currency for establishing a connection with others -- especially those who resonate with your WHY. You see, WHY activates the limbic brain -- the portion of the brain that triggers responses where emotions and trust are also activated. It’s the principle of “deep calling unto deep.” When you are Living Your WHY and authentically communicating it to others, your WHY words penetrate to the limbic level (what we used to call the heart level). The people who share your WHY (your “tribe”) resonate with your WHY and your WHY words. That prompts them to lower their resistance and extend trust to you more easily and often instantly. As you continue to operate with high levels of trust and transparency, those connections will continue to grow. A quick survey of the current business landscape shows that some of the most powerful global brands have achieved that status because of their superpowers of attraction and connection around their WHY. Invest time perusing the organizations on the GameChangers 500 and you can explore how these companies are changing business by uniting commerce and purpose.

PERSEVERANCE

Some consider perseverance as the ultimate Superpower of WHY. It’s what Viktor Frankl experienced as a Jew imprisoned in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany in World War II. He was quoting Friedrich Nietzsche,

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how

but Frankl experienced this Superpower firsthand.Having a strong WHY is what enabled he and other POWs to endure unbelievably inhumane treatment and persecution.Here’s how Viktor Frankl described the power of WHY to persevere in Man’s Search for Meaning.

“Whenever there was an opportunity for it, one had to give them a why— an aim— for their lives, in order to strengthen them to bear the terrible how of their existence. Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. He was soon lost.” Man's Search for Meaning (p. 76). Beacon Press. 

Persevering through all kinds of hardships, difficulties, and especially cruelties is indeed a Superpower.

What Will You Do with Your Superpowers?

Which of these superpowers do you want to activate in your life? Want to team up with others who are harnessing their superpowers for good? Living Your WHY is one such place -- you might think of it as kind of like the Justice League. Join forces with us here and let's see how much good we can do together. To get updates on blog posts and all things Living Your Why subscribe here: [convertkit form=4898348]