This exchange on Facebook sparked some thoughts for me:

Former Student: Kindness is like a super power. You have to use it for good.

Me: Very good Former Student.

FS: Thanks, I learned that in leadership class.

Me: The next question is, where will you use your super power?

Close to the end of the call to leadership class, we ask our students to find the words to talk about what they think their purpose in life is.  Sometimes it becomes very clear to the students — “I want to help people find their financial security, I want to go back to my high school and teach, I want to inspire other people to be more than they are.”  Sometimes I get the I-can-be-good-where-ever-I-find-myself answer — “I will be a good employee, student, and son/daughter.”

Something always bugged me about that answer.  It seems incomplete.  It’s not just what you’ll do and why you’ll do it, but also where you’ll do it.  Bruce Wayne discovers that he has a passion for justice, skill and intelligence to fight crime on the ground, and he chooses Gotham to do it in — a city that needs him and at the same time is significant to who he is.   Superman discovers that he is not of this world, is given a unique gift because of that, and chooses to help a planet that has adopted him as their own.  So, without the specific place, who benefits from the use of the super power is not clear.  Without the who, the why is then in question. And without they why, the sense of purpose or leadership unravels.

But when I thought about it, it hit me that the use of a true “super power” naturally opens the door to the who and the where.  I was bitten by the radioactive TV producing bug at 22  but stopped using that power at 25 to be more “practical, have a future, and make a living.” As I recognised my own calls, I started to use the skills again — writing, shooting, editing wedding videos then corporate videos.  The more I used them, the more things started to define themselves — the stuff I would choose to produce and edit, the audience I would talk to and eventually the place I would do it from.  Today, 20 years later, I’m back producing TV shows.  Another friend says that finishing her first marathon was a transforming experience in her life. Today she blogs about running, and organizes the only beginners only marathon in the country (www.thebullrunner.com)

Our super powers are there for a purpose.   And finding what they are, who they are for, where we use them, and why is an exciting journey towards our own calls to leadership. Much like Superman as you get to know who you really are, what you are meant to do becomes clearer. Like Batman finding your purpose often has a specific place and people attached to it.  And much like Spiderman, when you appreciate the power that your significant experiences give you, you realise that with great power comes great responsibility.