With all of the Marvel and DC movies coming out, it seems that the world is crying out for someone to save it—someone with a superpower.
That someone could be you. Would it surprise you to hear that you possess an actual, legitimate superpower? Well, you do. Each of us has the literal power to change someone’s life for the better.
Insignificant though it may seem, the ability to change someone’s life for the better is truly god-like—and I don’t use that term lightly.
When you think about it, what is more heroic—a display of strength and power or the ability to save a soul?
In my book, Your Life Isn’t For You, I share an experience I had while working at Anasazi, a wilderness therapy program for at-risk youth in Arizona.
Reinforced with the strength of trained medical and clinical staff, Anasazi offers a six-week course in nature: primitive skills, organic foods, hiking through canyons, and sleeping under the stars. The time spent in the wilderness allows the youth who take part an opportunity to detox from any drug abuse, and to simultaneously consider their “walking in the world.”
A few months into my job, I met a young participant, whom I’ll call Megan. Even though she was only sixteen years old, Megan looked like a fighter, someone who had gone through hell.
At first, working with Megan was very challenging. She had a prickly personality, and would often lash out with derogatory comments. Despite her anger, I resolved to look for the best in her. As I persisted in doing this, a most remarkable thing began to happen. The more I got to know Megan and learn about her life, the more I came to respect, admire, and love her. Her life at home and school was hellish, and I started to understand why she felt the need to put up so many defenses.
One day, I sat down with Megan to show her a list I had made. The list was a compilation of all the great things I had seen within her throughout that week—and it was no small list!
After I had finished reading it aloud, I looked up at Megan and noticed that tears were welling up in her eyes. I was shocked. I hadn’t expected that tough girl to react in such a way.
“Seth,” she whispered, “no one has ever told me anything like that before.”
A few weeks later, I met up with Megan as she was finishing the program. Despite the fact that her face was smeared with the dirt and grime of hiking through the wilderness, she shone as brightly as the sun. Her eyes, once heavy-lidded and filled with anger, now glowed with life and light.
In the years since, I have watched Megan go on to accomplish incredible things. She graduated from college, participated in humanitarian projects at home and abroad, and has started her own family. Wherever she goes, she exercises her own power to change lives for the better.
To this day, Megan still sends me emails, thanking me for what I had said to her all those years ago. All I did was help Megan see the greatness she already had within herself, but that one little thing changed her entire outlook on life.
You possess that same power to help others!
Using just your words, you can inspire someone to see the best in themselves. You may not be able to move objects with your mind, but you can reach out and help someone move forward. And although you might not be able to lift heavy weights or machinery, you can lift a heavy heart.
I challenge you to go out and change someone’s life for the better. Change many people’s lives! We can’t be everything to all people, but we can certainly help those around us move forward. Look for the best in people, and encourage them to see it for themselves. Reach out and lift those who are sinking in the depths of despair.
The world has enough fictional heroes. The world needs real heroes—real people with the power to lift the heavy-hearted.
The world needs heroes like you.
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