Love What You Do and Make A Difference

I recently heard Jason Cohen, founder of WP Engine, say in a talk, “There are things we’re bad at, things we’re good at, things we’re excellent at, and then we have our superpowers.”

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or what you do — your superpower is how you change lives.

But before I get to that, I want to break down Cohen’s concept. Think of it like this:

Bad
These are the things that you really don’t like to do and that consume your time. Delegate them and never think about them again.

Good
These are things you perform well at, but you’re not in love with. You don’t give them much thought either way. Easy to delegate.

Excellent
This is a level above good. You’ve consistently worked hard to become excellent at them. Eventually, you’ll have to let most of these go too, but it will not be easy.

Superpower
These are the things you LOVE to do. You look forward to them everyday with excitement and never tire of them. They fulfill you. Here is where you spend your time.

Now you also have to understand your “WHY.” You may already know what it is or you may think you know. If you don’t know your why, then I ask you this: Why do you get up to go to work? Why do you do what you do day in and day out?

Your answer to those questions is the first step to finding your “WHY.” Now ask “why” to those answers…

I’ve found that most of the time, people’s “WHY” boils down to helping people (including themselves and their families). It’s a beautiful trick of humanity. Sure, we all like to make money, but what we really want is to make a difference.

So, the big question here is: What’s your superpower? What do you absolutely love about the work you do?

The superpower seems to be a little harder to pin down. When you take your why and you match it to your superpower, it doesn’t matter what you’re selling, developing, or putting together — you’ll change lives.

Once you can identify your superpower, you can begin to understand how to make a real difference in the world. There’s actually a simple formula for it:

Your “WHY” + Your Superpower = Life Changing Work

The Power of Your Superpower

Understanding my superpowers — connecting with people and presenting opportunities that bring fulfillment and joy — has taken away the guilt I’ve often felt for not being good at everything. It’s freed me to focus.

Once you find your superpower and are able to place a value on it, you’ll realize there’s no glory in “wearing a lot of hats.” You will no longer feel bad about not being good at all the things you’re “supposed” to be good at. You’ll simply be ecstatic with what you’re doing.

For me, this process started a long time ago. I didn’t have words for it until I heard Jason Cohen talk about it. Once I did, working within that superpower became my sole focus.

My goal for this year is to be in it 80 percent of the time. Realistically, I probably won’t hit it — things like scheduling and deadlines will get in my way — but I’m trying.

Recognizing Your Superpower

You know it when you’re in it. You just feel it. You’re “in the zone.”

It’s one of those things that you’d still do, even if you won the lottery. It makes you feel good. When you’re on your deathbed, you’ll be happy with every minute you’ve spent in your superpower. You will have made a difference that truly matters.

When I present new opportunities to people, I conscientiously bring my superpower and my “WHY” to help people make a difference. I call it “dream finding” and it lights me up. I love helping people find solutions to their real problems that get them closer to their core desires.

Yeah, I am a Online Marketing Specialist, but what I really do (and love) is to listen to what’s important to people and help them manifest it. I get a thrill out of hearing someone’s idea and being able to say back to them, “Yeah, we can do that, you can do that,” and then making that thing happen.

For you, it could be design, art, working with people, solving problems, or being the person with the answer.

Most people can create a laundry list of the things that aren’t their superpowers. And that’s a start. But you also have to dig deep about what you do like. Get to your core superpowers, rather than playing around the edges of what it is.

Don’t just say “I like marketing.” That’s not good enough. What about marketing? Is it telling stories? Is it giving people what they want? Is it reaching people? Is it solving problems?

Yes? Okay! Now go deeper!

“Because I like to help people…”

“Because I enjoy putting the pieces together…”

Why?

Keep asking this question until you can’t go any further.

Finding Yours

How much of your time are you actually spending in your superpower? Five percent? Ten? And you wonder why you’re not having a greater impact?!

Understand that when it’s stuff you really love, it’s going to benefit people. They’ll see that you’re happy and they’ll be pleased, and drawn to you. It’s so much easier to buy good stuff from a good person when they believe it as much as you do. If you don’t have that strong connection, you miss the point.

For me, acknowledging and being able to put a term on my superpower took a while. It wasn’t until my business partner pointed out to me how much I love being with people and helping them see their gift that I was able to see it for what it was. It takes time.

That being said, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t have some idea of what their superpower was. It exists for everyone. You get to be in control of how you are in the world. And you get to be happy with it.

If you don’t want to figure it out for you, do it for society. If you’re stuck, keep thinking. Because if you’re not doing YOUR THING more often, you’re not serving yourself and the world the best way you can. Try it and let me know how it goes.

Struggling to discovering your superpower? Connect with me and I’ll help you find it.