Superpowers

For those of us who have overcome struggle, loss, and defeat, we know the power and the beauty that lie in overcoming. I have been knocked off my feet by the pain. I have prayed and wished the pain away. I have cried myself to sleep at night. I have been so tired that when it was time to finally go to bed at night, my whole body ached right along with my heart. Slowly, bit by bit, I climbed my way out of despair. When I finally took a moment to breathe and assess how far I had come, I was amazed. Somehow, some way, I got through it, and along the way I earned some "superpowers". It was only then that I realized that the hard times in my life, shaped me into the person I am today. 

The first superpower I earned was resiliency. There is a silent, non-assuming power that fuels resiliency, that helped me realize that I was capable of getting through and overcoming, much more than I gave myself credit for. I call this a superpower because it has completely changed how I approach challenges. It gave me a confidence in my ability to overcome that I never would have deemed possible. 

My second superpower is empathy. As the quote above expresses, when you intimately know pain, you recognize it quickly and easily. Almost as though you have the x-ray vision of Superman. I can see pain and I know what feeds it, and conversely, I know what starves it. This empathy and this ability to guide others through it, is what prompted me to become a therapist. It drives all that I do in the the therapy room. It drives the compassion, unconditional positive regard, and non-judgemental stance that is necessary to do great work. My clients feel it, they know I know pain, they know I "get it". 

This leads me to my third superpower, transparency. My struggles have left me with a "what you see is what you get" attitude. I do not have the energy to pretend anymore. I no longer see the importance of perfection. I realize that some of the greatest parts of me stem from my imperfections. This superpower has left me feeling free. I no longer have to pretend. I no longer have to care about what people think of me, and most importantly, I get to proudly present my authentic self. I am literally free to be me. This is another superpower I use in the the therapy room. People can feel when someone is being genuine. When seeking therapy, people crave someone who is genuine and authentic. Outside of the therapy room, this superpower has enabled me to connect to more people on a deeper level. 

I earned every one of these superpowers and I proudly use them whenever I can. I type this as I puff out my chest and imagine a big S across it. I understand the tremendous amount of growth that comes from pain. This growth has changed the filter in which I view the world. At times, I wish I could take the pain away, but I find solace in knowing that from great pain, came greater growth and amazing superpowers.