While sitting at my parents’ dining table, I leaf through various drugstore flyers. My eyes fall on an ad whose headline grabs my attention: „Playing gives you superpowers.“ A theme that couldn’t be more fitting for Christmas. After all, the season of games, toys, and childlike excitement is just around the corner. So, let’s talk about your superpowers this week.
What is your superpower? Maybe your eyebrows are raised right now, and you’re frowning slightly. „Superpowers… phew… I don’t have any,“ you might think. But I’m not talking about the superpowers of Marvel heroes from the movies. I mean everyday things that allow you to bring joy to yourself and others.
What if you used these superpowers more often to make your world a little brighter and better? Perhaps it’s easy for you to help others. Or you love giving gifts. Or you enjoy giving compliments. Whatever comes naturally to you might be something others struggle with. And just like that, you have a superpower from their perspective. From your point of view, it’s perfectly normal. But Superman would probably also say that flying is simple and ordinary for him.
You know, if you used these superpowers more often in your life, your environment would become a better place. While so many of us wait for help from the outside, the thing that could truly change your life is much closer than you think. To quote my Hollywood producer Phil: „Imagine you go to the movies, and you don’t like the film. From where you are sitting – that is, your cinema seat – you can’t change a thing. But if you go to the projection room, you could change the whole movie in seconds.“ What he means is that any work that enriches or improves our lives is an inside job – something you need to change within yourself.
Many people still believe that joy lies outside of us – in trips, new cars, or hoping others will change. On one hand, that will only make you temporarily happy. On the other hand, the world won’t change for you.
What if you changed the way you see the world? „No, Norman, that doesn’t help. Everything will stay the same anyway…“ Well, there are people who find a problem for every solution. What if you looked inward more often, connected with your heart and your superpower? And then did more of the things that come easily to you and bring you joy? By doing so, you first make your inner world a better place – and the outer world will automatically follow. If you feel good, others feel good too. If you are calm, you radiate that calmness. Everything stands and falls with your mindset.
Whether you spend the next few days under the tree, beside the tree, or completely without a tree: Take a moment to reflect on what you loved to play as a child, what came easily to you, or what fascinated you so much that you could spend hours doing it. Especially during Christmas, do a little more of that and remember that this seemingly simple thing might just be a superpower.
Merry Christmas and peaceful holidays.
