Many people have dreamed of having superpowers.  If you had one, would you use it for good or for evil?  I think most people would say, of course, they would use their powers for the good, and they would help mankind in some way.  We all have superpowers.  We have a fantastic body mechanism with a wonderful super computer brain that can analyze data and send important conscious and unconscious instructions to other parts of our body.  Rick Hanson, PhD, indicates, ”On average each of the 100 billion neurons in your head has about 1,000 connections with other neurons, creating a huge network of about 100 trillion synapses.  Like a computer network built from one hundred trillion transistors, each representing a “bit” of information depending on whether it is on or off.”  Hanson, R. (2007) Your Wonderful Brain.   We make decisions every day with this brain that could be defined as good or evil.  Yes, superpowers.

Let’s talk about the single working mom of two kids.  One child is home sick with an ear infection, the other has a science project due the next day, she’s cooking dinner, and mom also has an online homework assignment due at midnight.  It’s the superpower of sheer motivation and several cups of coffee that push her through.  We don’t think of it at first glance as a superpower.  Yes she’s tired, but she has made the decision within, no matter what happens, she will prevail!

Let’s take a different view, a criminal.  Someone who has made continuous life decisions that would be perceived as negative, or evil.  Maybe they didn’t start out this way.  Over time, the acts became more and more destructive eventually leading to home invasion or even murder.  They have superpowers it’s just that they’re being used in a destructive manner.  They have the same powerful brain function, the same ability to make positive and negative choices as anyone.  It could be a loss of hope or drive, or any number of reasons they have given up on changing the road they are on.  The ongoing daily decision rests within them.

Now, what about the middle-of-the-road person, the regular everyday Joe or Joan who may not be having these same extreme issues?  The one who may just need inspiration or motivation to begin to better use their internal superpowers in order to strive to higher heights?  They’ve settled with mediocre results in their life and have been somewhat content with where they are.  An online article by Stacia Pierce for the Huffington Post states, “In life, there may be times when negativity seems to surround you, suffocating your dreams and destroying your hope. When that happens, many go through their day being saturated with negativity and accepting it as a way of life. While you can’t always control what happens to you, you can control how you respond to it. Seek to create a positive environment for yourself and you’ll begin to become more motivated to achieve your dreams and goals.”  Pierce, S. (March, 2014) 10 Ways To Stay Motivated When Negativity Seems To Be All Around.  .

Human beings are such interestingly designed machines.  We balance logic and emotion to come to many different conclusions, daily.  So many moveable parts, processes and controls working together to achieve goals.  We can stop wishing for superpowers, we already have them.  It’s just up to us whether or not we choose to use them, and for our own good, or evil.  As always, it’s up to us.