How Will You Use Your Superpowers for Good Today?

Your Path to Joy Runs Through Service to Others

You have superpowers. You may not label them that way, but you know you have great strengths. You do things well that others don’t. You’ve developed abilities you are proud of—even if you don’t brag about them. You are amazing. Go look in the mirror and tell yourself you are amazing. I’ll wait.

Welcome back.

Now that you and I agree that you have superpowers and are therefore amazing let’s talk about what you’re going to do with those powers today.

Chances are good that countless things are competing for your attention. There are bills to pay—and therefore a boss or clients who expect work from you. You have family duties—that bring you great joy but still take time. And errands. There are always errands to run.

That’s our shared daily reality. Our time and our superpowers are stretched. We are in a constant tug of war between wanting to accomplish more and needing to take a break.

If you have time today to read this post, chances are good your house didn’t burn down last night—either literally or figuratively.

All around us, however, there are people whose homes did burn down last night. In Ukraine, some lost their homes to Russian bombs. Some people lost their homes to fires last night. Others lost loved ones to covid, cancer, heart disease or depression, figuratively burning their homes to the ground. Millions of people around the world have no home at all.

As we scoot around town running errands, the climate continues to warm. The polar ice caps are melting. Sea level is rising (remind me why I just moved to a city with an elevation of 16 feet). Weather is getting weirder—and by weirder, I really just mean worse. Bigger storms, more extreme temperatures and severe droughts are all part of the backdrop for picking up the dry cleaning or grabbing some cash at the ATM.

Life is to be lived. The time we spend with loved ones is not an undeserved luxury; it is an essential part of the human condition.

Altruism and empathy are also components of our humanity. We cannot experience complete joy and happiness knowing that others suffer while we ignore it. We may become numb to the news as we seek to convince ourselves that there is nothing we can do. That little lie may allow us to get to sleep, but it will not bring us joy.

We achieve the joy and happiness life offers only when we use our superpowers for good, when we do something to alleviate the agony of another soul.

You have superpowers. You are amazing. Think today about how you can use your strengths to help someone else. Consider how you can, if only for a few moments, put the needs of others above your own. Don’t quit your job. Don’t abandon your family. Don’t forget to pick up the dry cleaning and stop at the ATM. But remember, your supreme happiness will come from service and sacrifice, not selfishness. It’s who you are.

How will you use your superpowers for good today?