Acknowledge your superpower

Knowing ourselves and knowing what we want to achieve in life is like the chicken and egg situation. Without knowing our strengths and weaknesses, it is difficult to figure out what is within our reach.  And if we do not aim high, we can never challenge and overcome our weakness. So, understanding what we can and what we want to do in our lives is much more than a decision. It is a process. You need to give it time. You need to have patience.

The first step to knowing ourselves is to have trust and belief in ourselves, but we often lose confidence at the first stumbling block. We start blaming our circumstances, unfavorable conditions, and start accepting the failures as our limitations. We blame ourselves for not being capable of handling situations, without really exploring different perspectives.

To understand what is our superpower there is a brief story of the young man and a Swamiji…

Once upon a time a young man was frustrated with his problems. For as long as he could remember, he had been struggling hard and yet wasn’t able to make both ends meet. He had grown up in a family of woodcutters and had always longed for the luxuries enjoyed by people around him. However, the money he earned by selling wood couldn’t buy him such a lifestyle. 

He had tried working hard, but had failed.  He had tried copying the ways of his more successful friends, but nothing had worked for him and his situation remained the same. His belief in himself and his abilities had plummeted. This is when he decided to consult Swamiji and seek his guidance. 

Bowing to Swamiji, he asked humbly, “Swamiji, I have been struggling throughout my life, but I am still a poor woodcutter. I want to earn some money. Could you please guide me?” Swamiji looked at him and saw a young man with a robust physique. 

“Why do you need money?” asked Swamiji.  

“To live a joyful life.” Replied the woodcutter. 

Swamiji then asked, “What are you to do to earn money?” 

Woodcutter replied,” I will do anything you ask me to do.” 

Swamiji cautioned him,” Please be careful in what you commit. You cannot achieve anything without making sacrifices.” 

Young man repeated,” I have thought this through. I will do anything for the sake of money.” 

Swamiji said with a smile,” Okay, because you are so anxious for money, I will tell you a simple way to get lots of it, and that too instantly. 

“Swamiji, you are great. You are a very kind person. Whatever people told me about you is right,” the young man gushed and bowed low to Swamiji. He waited anxiously for Swamiji to show him the way. 

“There is a very rich man who lives close by. He is blind,” said Swamiji. “His blindness can be cured if someone donates him one eye. He is willing to pay a good amount to such a donor. If you donate one eye, you will not only be helping a handicapped person, but you will still be get a lot of money in return. Moreover, you will still be left with one eye to enjoy a luxurious life. Can there be an easier way to earn so much money?” 

The young man was horrified. He couldn’t believe what Swamiji had just said. Giving one eye would mean forever losing the ability to see properly. The solution sounded terrible. But at the same time, the thought of earning a lot of money tempted him. Nevertheless, he decided to check what he was signing up for. He closed one of his eyed to see how  life would be with just one functioning eye. Thought Swamiji was right in the front of him, the young man couldn’t see his face. He tried to count his fingers but wasn’t able to do so with one eye closed. Everything looked blurred and he was not able to judge a distances. With this impaired vision, he would certainly not enjoy life.  “No, I will not part with my eye. It is precious to me,” thought the woodcutter. He opened his eye and looked at Swamiji, and told him of his decision. 

Swamiji agreed with his views and gave him another option. He asked the young man to give him one of his hands and offered him Rs 2 lacs in return. The young man expressed his unwillingness again. He refused to give his eye or hand for money. 

Swamiji smiled and said, “You already are a rich man. You already possess everything that is most precious to human beings-intact body and good health. Recognize you own value. You are a human being and you can do whatever you wish to do, provided you first recognize your own worth.”

We usually go about our lives like the young man in the above story. We have no idea of our powers.

Ex-President Late Shri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Once Said:

“God, our creator, has stored in our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. We must tap and develop these powers.”

Being ignorant of our power and energy, we make no efforts to fathom the depths of our real being. In fact, there is something amazing inside each of us and we must look for a way to nurture it ant let it out.

However, we are largely unaware of these powers, simply because we only tend to believe in what is visible, audible, or apparent in any other way. However, these “superhuman” powers lie beneath the surface. Mostly they are dormant. But, at times they surface unexpectedly.

All the powers that you need to emerge a victor are already within you. You need to have faith in them. The creator has equipped you with all the weapons you need to fight any situation, and they will come to your rescue whenever there is a need, provided you believe in them.