You Are a Superhero

You are a superhero.  Perhaps that thought makes you shake your head and dismiss the idea.  Because being a superhero connotes something extraordinary, it conjures up great powers and magnificent capabilities.

Let’s reframe what makes a Superhero. 

You probably agree that every life story is unique.  And that when you share your talents and experience, you give a gift to the world that no one else can provide but you.  The light of your awareness is uniquely yours.  It is irreplaceable.   And yes, because you always have access to your inner wisdom and soul’s essence, it is also divinely Super.  

Your true self is always present and accessible to you.   

You are always capable of harnessing great capabilities within yourself.  In fact, your inner Supernature is waiting for you to call upon it.

As the Founder of a series of Soul Artist Experiences,  I work with people in the second half of life who want to amplify life with more meaning, purpose, and self-expression.  I am a self-proclaimed Creativity Advocate.  In other words, I help you unleash your creativity.

I teach a series of courses that help you silence your inner critic, free your inner artist, and connect with your inner wisdom so you can use more of your potential and make a bigger impact in life.

The Superhero is one of our most beloved Soul Artist Experience exercises.  This type of exercise is often used in Art Therapy sessions because the Superhero helps us concentrate on strengths, gifts, talents, skills, and abilities.

In other words, as you identify your inner Superhero, you might discover new ways to view your capabilities.  Not to mention, this exercise can help you discover and celebrate your hidden potential.

In the Soul Art Experience classes, we strive to overcome perfectionist tendencies and make an effort to stop self-deprecating judgments.  

I invite Soul Artists not to spend too much time focusing on how their Superhero looks.    Therefore, some of my favorite images are the ones that are simply hand-drawn and perfectly imperfect.  She or he can be a cartoon stick figure or a cut-out from a magazine.  Your superhero image should remind you of your unique gifts and talents.

I have noticed that many of us seem to have an abundance of abusive self-talk.

It is typical to focus on your shortcomings or what you lack.  I encourage you to instead pay attention to your strengths, your gifts, talents, skills, and abilities.

The tendency to be hypercritical often starts young.  Our unhealthy and over-active inner critic requires some effort to overcome. 

Sometimes, our self-judgments and standards negatively impact self-esteem.

I like the Superhero and related exercises because they help you focus positively.  In addition, in the Soul Artist Experience series of courses, we often ask: would I speak to my closest friends the way I speak to myself?  Consistent with a positive psychology approach, we focus on finding ways to support self-affirmation.

 

When you feel worthy, you can embrace wholeness in all aspects of your life.  You can be a more powerful role model.

By the same token, finding and living your purpose becomes straightforward because you develop the courage to use your gifts and talents fully.

How is YOUR self-esteem? 

Many of us believe we have pretty high regard for ourselves.   Yet, every day, I hear negative self-talk when people comment on their own creativity.

In the Soul Artist Experience series of courses, I invite us to help each other be as kind and supportive to ourselves as we are to one another.  

One way to begin to transcend blocks to self-esteem and confidence is by acknowledging what makes you super.  Here’s how we do the Superhero exercise.  

First, I ask you to print out a superhero template from the workbook I provided. 

Secondly, I ask you to use the image as inspiration to create your own.   Heroes come in every shape, size, and color.  They all have distinctive costumes and features.

What Do You Naturally Excel At?

Thirdly, remind yourself about the gifts and talents that make you unique.  And how you are when you are at your best.

What Do People Come To You For?

Next, consider your superpowers.  What do you naturally excel at?  Consider your passions.  What sets your soul on fire? Equally important, what gifts are you continuously using?  Notice what traits or attributes you want to develop.

When people come to you, what do you help them with?  That theme may point you toward your superpower.  

For example, your empathetic listening skills may make them feel safe.  If listening is one of your superpowers, you could illustrate this gift on your superhero as brightly colored ears. 

What’s on your Tool Belt?

What gadgets, weapons, and protective devices do you want your superhero to have?  These should be powerful, help your hero stay at her/his best, and fully use superpowers for good.

Superheroes are armed to protect themselves from negative forces or challenges.  For example, we might gird our loins to guard against “evil” forces (like negative self-talk). 

A cape or shield can enhance our inner resilience so that we can handle whatever situations arise.

What are your Tools?

Find some tools for your Superhero.  You can create a tool belt if you like, or just put your Superhero’s tools on the page with her/him.   

Your tools should include those devices to help you shield and protect yourself from negative forces in the world, but they also include gadgets that are powerful and help the hero heal, stay calm, and be grounded.  Tools help the hero stay in contact with the present moment so that they are most efficient, thinking clearly, living on purpose, and acting on things they care about.

Maybe in yours, you will write the letter “B” to stand for “Breathing.”  We have learned that pranayama, the use of the breath, helps keep you stay calm and in touch with your body.  

My Superhero has the OM symbol as a tool.  This reminds me that meditation is a key to helping me be at my best. 

Your hero might need an “S” for “Snacks.”  Because when you stay hydrated and fed, you stay balanced and can handle different situations as they arise. 

And finally, give your superhero a name. 

This powerful name can be a remarkable attribute.  It could also be a reminder of her/his purpose or reason for being. 

We have seen some wonderful Superhero names within our Tribe of Soul Artists.  Some include titles such as Queen, Magus, Hero, Magician, Victor, Superstar, Warrior, Healer or Conqueror.  

Many reflect the energy you want to tap into: Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, Medicine Woman. Shaman, Kahuna, Wise Woman.

All of them celebrate her/his attributes.  Each Superhero’s gifts, talents, skills, abilities, and superpowers are unique.

When I first taught this segment of the class, I worried that Soul Artists would tell me that the exercise was ridiculous.  

I was prepared to passionately request the Soul Artists to suspend the critical and judgmental talk and beg them to see where the work would take them.

I was delighted to find that everyone embraced the exercise completely and responded in ways that exceeded my expectations.

The Superhero lesson is foundational for the Soul Artist Experience Master Class, where we take a deep dive into the sacred feminine and get to know some divine mother and goddess figures. These goddesses have many inspirational tools in their tool belts.  We also spend time identifying our inner Archetypes.

One of the goddesses we study in the Soul Artist Master Class is Durga.  She carries a variety of inspiring tools that she uses in her fight against evil. Each has a symbolic meaning.

For example, her bow and arrows represent energy.  Her thunderbolt signifies the firmness of her convictions.

A blossoming lotus in one of Durga’s many hands represents the certainty of success but not finality. Her sword symbolizes knowledge.

So, let your imagination run free; think of your life challenges and gather the tools to help you.

Sustain the Momentum

So now you have your Superhero, you have identified her/his powers, you have gathered tools, and you have a name.  

To step into her or his power, keep your Superhero visible.  This serves as a reminder to recognize your inner capability and power.  

I keep one of my Superhero images in my art studio and one on the cover of my gratitude journal.  I look at her before meditation.  She is part of my inner or mental world.  

I strive to appreciate and become her.  She reminds me to remember my strengths. Remember my tools. To use my protective devices and shields out in the world.

I also remember that, like me, my Superhero is a work in progress.  I know I can update her as often as I wish.  

And, as we learn in the Sacred Feminine and Archetype work, we are not limited to just one inner Superhero.  If you want to create more than one, do it.

If this Superhero work resonates with you, I would love to include you in our Tribe of Soul Artists.   Learn more.

Thank you to Soul Artists Teresa Henke, Kathy Kellum, Rich Ramsey, Tricia Strahler, and Cheryl Thompson for sharing your Superhero art journal pages.

Find out more about my journey through my book on Amazon: Vision Quest; A Journey to Happiness by Jane Ramsey.

Read how Creativity is like Meditation here.

Learn the Benefits of Pranayama.

To learn more about Chakras read the Blogs below:

Understanding Chakras

Practice gentle chakra tuning

Root Chakra

Sacral Chakra

Solar Plexus Chakra

Heart Chakra

Throat Chakra

Brow or Third Eye Chakra

Crown Chakra

Interested in the Universal Laws?  The Blogs for each of the twelve Laws are found below:

Divine Oneness here.

Vibration here.

Correspondence here.

Attraction here.

Inspired Action here.

Perpetual Transmutation of Energy here.

Cause and Effect here.

Compensation here.

Relativity here.

Polarity here.

Rhythm here.

Gender here.

Read how Creativity is like Meditation here.

Learn the Benefits of Pranayama.

To find out more about me and our course offerings, please click the links above the Blog Post or here:

Browse courses by Jane Ramsey

Find out more about Jane Ramsey

Learn about Jane Ramsey’s Book Vision Quest: a journey to happiness