It would be conveniently romantic for me to tell you that ever since I was a young girl I dreamed of being Wonderwoman. Truth is, however, it wasn’t until I had children that I truly became acquainted with all the famed superheroes and their supernatural powers. Despite my maturity, I found myself wondering how different life would be if I had enhanced senses, superhuman speed and the ability to fly on the wind.
Well, it seems all my wild ruminations may, in fact, be of benefit to me in the real world. Through research and experience, I have discovered ways in which we can call upon our imagination to feel stronger, act smarter and overcome the fears and insecurities that may stand in the way of us achieving our potential. What is even more exciting is science supports it all!
So if you have ever, or are only now wondering, what superpowers you have, here are three powerful rituals you can use daily to channel your inner superhero-
1. Stand like a Superhero-
This ritual is inspired by the remarkable work of New York Times bestselling author, TED phenomenon and at one-time Professor of Leadership at Harvard University, Amy Cuddy. In her book Presence, Cuddy shows how your body language influences others and even changes the way you see yourself. Through research and exploration, Cuddy discovered spending as little as two minutes in a power posture can notably enhance your feelings of presence and power. If you can’t picture what a superhero pose is, I suggest you google Superman or Wonderwoman. Admittedly not the best pose to strike in a meeting or with a group of friends, but no harm in finding a quiet place of solitude to channel your inner superhero and gain a little confidence from him or her.
2. Dress like a Superhero-
Now before you jump to conclusions, I am not suggesting you literally play dress up and delude yourself into thinking you are from another world. What I am referring to here is ‘enclothed cognition’ and in science speak it describe the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer’s psychological processes. It seems that the clothes we wear are proven to affect how we feel and more importantly how we perform in life. According to research, the effect occurs only if you actually know the symbolic meaning of the item you are wearing. The great news is with the power of imagination, you have the ability to give your clothing meaning. If you want to feel more powerful, find an outfit that represents power to you. By dressing as our best selves it seems we end up living it as our truth.
3. Act like a Superhero
In the words of Wonderwoman- “no matter how small an act of kindness or generosity or simple positivity you put out into the world, it will make a difference.” If you look at all the great superheroes of the past, they are all connected to a higher purpose. In many ways, they are selfless and put the wellbeing of humanity before their personal needs. Research supports the statement that when we see ourselves as having a greater purpose our happiness, health and longevity is enhanced. The catch is, we are only able to discover our purpose when we step into our truth and accept ourselves for who we really are. I liken the preoccupation to fit in as our kryptonite, it makes us weak and eventually will kill any spark of individuality we have. We are all here for a unique reason and the only way we can fulfill that is to appreciate the qualities that make us unique and own our unique calling in the world.
You only have to attempt (and I do stress attempt in my case) to delve into the world of quantum physics to appreciate nothing is as it seems and quite frankly our very existence is magical. Perhaps if we wake each morning and remind ourselves we are here for a purpose and trust our ability to fulfill the calling, we will discover superpowers we never knew existed in ourselves. In the meantime, why not try to stand, dress and act like a superhero and let our imagination pave the way.