There was a time in her life where she was afflicted with what I call “Wonder Woman Disorder”. Most of her decisions worked out or she forced an outcome.
She took much for granted. There was a sense of pride in “all she had accomplished”. She failed to register the folly in many of the decisions she made that miraculously worked out in her favor.
She had the heart of a humanitarian; which was her saving grace. However, there was a sort of obnoxious tone to her success. Thoughts like “this is karma, and if you had made better choices and worked hard this could be your life as well”. This sort of “spiritual elitism”, reeked of superiority.
There was a sense that we had super powers. In some regards we did and still do. In fact, we all do. We all juggle, manage, negotiate and live with a tremendous amount of ‘stuff’ in our daily lives.
Today it’s my ‘super power’ that gets me through some ‘hairy’ spots in life. So what’s the difference between relying on our super powers and suffering from “Wonder Woman aka Super Man Disorder”. Wonder woman thinks she can do it all. Nurse three children, while working full time, cooking, cleaning, managing rental properties and renovating homes. He would rather do it himself because “those idiots” will just make it harder. She takes no time for herself, after all she’s super human. He is manic, high pressure, and although would never admit it “an emotional knee jerk decision maker”. No one under that constant pressure can mindfully focus on the present moment. That is where true Super power is derived.
“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” Bill Cosby.
Super powers recognize the universal ebb and flow of energy. The tides come in. The tides go out. There is a natural order to things. A time for busy bees. A time for hibernating bears. Wonder Women thinks she can defy the laws of nature. Super powers grant the receiver humility. An understanding that all things are part of the collective. The GRU workers went to work today so we could have power which enable us to do our work. We are interdependent. We are never so powerful as to make “IT ALL RUN”. We rely everyday on a network of dedicated workers just like ourselves to make things happen.
Superman is limited because he thinks he can do it all, be all and does not know how to receive. This is his kryptonite. The cape came off when a succession of life events tattered the cape. There was a sense of dejection, loss and confusion. Self doubt, fear and depression creeped in. There was an identity crisis. She learned that you can work hard, make good decisions, and sometimes things don’t work out as expected. The air of superiority was gone. Humility took it’s place. The “now” became a life line because anything past this moment was too scary to comprehend. She realized her true “Super Power” did not come from being a “doer” they came from a sense of well being. What does that mean? It means, we don’t have to fix everything even if we can. Sometimes we all need to experience disappointment. It’s a part of maturation. It means we give thanks for all we have. Even if we feel like we have very little.
“The abundance in our life, comes from our relationships, not our external measuring sticks.”
“Recovered Super Heroes” have a unique vantage point. They know what it’s like to be wildly successful and adored and to be broken, defeated and resented. They tap into their super power with a new world view that puts into focus what really matters. They lost the cape, but they did not lose their experience. Rebuilding a new identity takes time. However, the new identity is based on humility, compassion and acceptance; making the person stronger than ever.
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill.
What’s the point of this blog today? If you are getting knocked on your ass; let it happen. This experience will redefine you. It will help you see what matters. It will help you tap into your true power. You will be a more confident and joyful image of your old self. That’s if you allow the process to shape you. If you resist it, if you harden your heart, if you become bitter, if you shut down or clam up, then you will miss a great opportunity to discover your most powerful self.
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” Rumi.
Push through the pain. Let the tears fall and then get up and do it again. Let go of the guilt. Let go of the shame. Let go of what was. Let go of what could have been. Jump into the NOW. Jump into what is. Embrace this moment and know that you have super powers and always have. Maybe the cape just cloaked them and took over your life without your conscious buy in. The ‘cape’ is really our EGO. You don’t have to put that pressure on yourself anymore to be a super hero. The world will survive. It does not “need” us. We can contribute to it. We can be a joyful presence and share that joy.
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.” – Marianne Williamson.