What Are YOUR Superpowers?

​Have you ever asked your friends to praise you? An outright, blatant, shameless request to tell you what your best, strongest qualities are? Last Spring, an online course I was taking asked me to reach out to people close to me and ask them what they think my superpowers are. It felt SO. WRONG. Asking others to do this is humbling, terrifying, and rewarding. 

​Those feelings, of course, were a large part of the point of this exercise. How often do we ask for things like this? I’m a pro at over-analyzing all the things I’m not good at, and listing all the things I’d like to change, and chewing on the awkward or embarrassing or just plain foolish things I’ve done- aren’t we all? But ultimately, what we focus our attention on gets our energy and expands, so we were asked to focus on our positives that the rest of the world recognizes even if we don’t. 

​I sent out an email in a surge of positivity. I just said “You all are my friends. What do you think my superpowers are?” I didn’t apologize, didn’t hedge. As I waited for my friends to answer my email, my positivity positively fled. I felt embarrassed. I felt flustered. I felt unworthy, and even a little ashamed for asking in the first place. And my friends proved me wrong. 

​I’m here to tell you, this is a GREAT exercise. Think about it- wouldn’t you be happy to tell your friends about the wonderful things you see in them? Wouldn’t it be fun to heap them with praise knowing they’d have to listen, because they ASKED for it?! Wouldn’t it be great to point out those things that makes your friends unique and special? They enjoyed doing this, many of them even thanked me for asking, and asked me to let them know the outcome of the exercise!

​​I hereby CHALLENGE you to ask your friends what they think YOUR superpowers are!! And please, let us know what they say #mysuperpowers

​And in the vein of doing things that make me uncomfortable, I’ll toot my own horn here and share what my friends told me. It means the world to me that this is what they see, because these are important qualities that I’m not sure I always manage to bring. Doubting ourselves is human! Supporting each other is human, too. And learning what others see you bringing to the world is divine.

"Dear Friends. What do you think my superpowers are?”

• enthusiasm, expertise, connection

• You are (1) resilient, (2) have a forward moving spirit and energy, and (3) are industrious, creative and tenacious.

• 1. Theatrical and fun approach to teaching and life without any drama 
• 2. Always one of the most positive and vibrant people to be around
• 3. Penetratingly insightful when clarity of vision is needed

• 1. Your curiosity. This is the easiest one! I feel like you're inquisitive af; you constantly seek to learn. 
• 2. Your intuition. I've been trying to figure out how to describe your super power as an explainer-of-things. You're really excellent at that. And I think what it boils down to is that you're really skilled at figuring out how someone needs something explained, which is where your intuition really comes into play.
• 3. Your intelligence. This is maybe cheating because it's something I highly value in others so when others have it, I tend to think that that's one of their greatest strengths. But you're so super smart, and it's a hugely important trait.

• Also, you're a witch. So

• Compassion:  You are so dedicated to helping people improve their lives, not out of your own ego, but because you really care about others.

• Wisdom: You continue to learn, grow, evolve.  You seek out new information, explore new modalities, not simply to have the knowledge for yourself or to improve your own life, but to share with others (see “compassion” above!).  And you integrate your learning – you are not solely about Ayurveda or keto, for example.  Rather, you are curious about how those sciences relate to information that you already have, what do they have in common, where are they different, what new learning can you pull out.
•  Joy:  You always have a smile on your face and a gentle way about you.  You are approachable and trustworthy.  You don’t judge.  I know that I can be vulnerable with you, share the not-so-nice parts of my life, and you always make me feel better about myself (see “compassion” above!). You paint a picture of a brighter, more hopeful tomorrow that keeps me going.

• Conscientious 
• Empathetic 
• Curious
• Joyful
• Informed
• Knowledgeable
• .....and when you communicate instructions or information, you do it in such a way that your client feels you are advocating for them, on the same team, and not condescending or patronizing.  I couldn’t find that in the thesaurus ;-). Is that a teacher?

•  You manage to balance a practical, no-nonsense approach to life, teaching, and learning with a whimsical nature. You see the beauty and magic in everyday life and the knowledge you seek and dispense, even if at first blush it appears mundane to others.
• Related to the above, your attitude is infectious. You help others see the beauty and magic when you are talking about what you are passionate about –whether it be a book, herbal medicine, self-care.
• You are steadfast and loyal. And you do not suffer fools.

• compassionate, good listener, determined, resourceful

Aw shucks, guys.

And yes, there are some herbs that can help you through this!

Tulsi springs immediately to mind- she can help calm the stress of doing this asking in the first place, and you may find she helps you transition into a person who believes what your friends are saying.

Rose is also a powerful friend in terms of opening your heart to receive the love your friends offer. 

Chamomile can help you turn off the inner-child who is afraid and uncertain, and Calamus might help you digest everything you are told. 

What other herbs would you work with? And I was serious- go ahead and ask your friends about your superpowers. You can thank me later ;)