There are many powerful quotes that have impacted me. I’m sure you have some favorites yourself.

I want to share one with you that changed my life because it can change yours too. This short little quote reveals a superpower we all have that often goes unnoticed. Those who’ve tapped into it have accomplished amazing things (I have examples). Once you recognize and tap into this one superpower—in you—you will accomplish amazing things too.

Do you recognize the superpower in this quote?

If you can turn it around in your heart and in your mouth — you can turn it around in your situation. — Gloria Copeland

These are the words of a proactive person. I’m reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In it, he talks about reactive and proactive people. I grew up being reactive. I had bouts of pro-activity, but they were more accidental than intentional. I’m learning to be more proactive every day.

Being proactive is where the power is found—but is not the superpower.

NOT THE SUPERPOWER

Contrary to what many believe, our circumstances do NOT make us what we are. Yes, they have the power of impact but it doesn’t end there. Circumstances reveal what’s inside us. They don’t have the power to control us — we are more powerful.

Do you question this saying — What about people in awful circumstances, or those who grow up with no opportunity, or those who have terrible things happen?

Even in awful circumstances, you have ONE superpower available.

RECOGNIZE YOUR SUPERPOWER

A man named Victor Frankl lost everything in the concentration camps in Germany. He discovered the one superpower we all have.

One day, naked and alone in a small room, he became aware…the freedom his Nazi captors could not take away. The could control his entire environment, they could do what they wanted to his body, but Victor Frankl himself was a self-aware being who could look as an observer at his very involvement. His basic identity was intact. He could decide within himself how all of this was going to affect him. — 7 Habits, Page 77 emphasis mine

Victor calls it our last freedom. I see it as a core freedom—our one superpower.

I understand how it fits in his storyline — but we don’t share his storyline. We have our own stories and need to see how it applies to us.

I can’t relate to an extinction oven, dying of malnutrition in a third world country, or surviving a natural disaster. I’m stuck with my circumstances and you’re stuck with yours.

But what Victor Frankl discovered—is available in every circumstance.

ALWAYS AVAILABLE

It doesn’t matter:

• If you’re rich, poor, or in-between.
• If you live in the country, city, or slums.
• What gender you are.
• If you’re married, single, widowed, or divorced.
• If you’re in jail, the hospital or home free.

We have the God-given ability to choose how to respond to whatever comes our way — known as responsibility.

Growing up I misunderstood responsibility. It felt oppressive to me. It was the duty to perform not the freedom to respond. It was a should not a choice. Because of this, I suffered.

We have a response—ability, or the ability to choose how to respond in every circumstance of our life.

This choice is your one superpower.

TAPPING INTO THE SUPERPOWER

We can’t control other people. We can only control ourselves—and that’s on a good day. Taking responsibility for our lives is a lot of work but we have God-given help if we want it. (More on that below.)

Your choices are yours—being intentional makes them your one superpower.

Yes, even if your circumstances suck.

Choosing to blame others instead of tapping into the superpower inside you will rob you of your innate amazingness. You have the power to overcome. Look at these examples.

• Tyler Perry may have a slew of movies sliding into movie theaters every year, but it wasn’t always that way. He suffered abuse as a child, both physical and sexual, and “he never felt safe,” according to oprah.com. But his rise into stardom started with a simple concept — he would think of his family. “I could go to this park (in my mind) that my mother and my aunt had taken me to. … I’m there in this park running and playing, and it was such a good day,” Perry said to oprah.com. “So, every time somebody was doing something to me that was horrible, that was awful, I could go to this park in my mind until it was over.” Source
• Bethany Hamilton had her arm bitten off by a shark. Hamilton started surfing when she was just a child. At age 13, an almost-deadly shark attack resulted in her losing her left arm. She was back on her surfboard one month later, and two years after that, she won first place in the Explorer Women’s Division of the NSSA National Championships. Talk about determination. Source
• Charlize Theron witnessed her mother kill her father. When Theron was 15, she witnessed her mother shoot her alcoholic father in an act of self-defense. Instead of letting the trauma immobilize her ambition, Theron channeled her energy into making a name for herself. She would eventually become one of the most respected and talented actresses, becoming the first South African actress to win an Academy Award. Source
• Kris Carr turned her cancer into a business of hope and healing. In 2003, Karr was a 32-year-old New Yorker just enjoying life. But then, a regular checkup at her doctor’s office resulted in a diagnosis of a rare and incurable Stage IV cancer called epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, existing in her liver and lungs. Instead of succumbing to the disease, Carr decided to challenge her diagnosis head-on. She attacked her cancer with a brand new nutritional lifestyle, and turned her experience into a series of successful self-help books and documentaries. Eventually, she launched her own wellness website, which is followed by over 40,000 people. Today, Karr is celebrating a decade of “thriving with cancer,” and is now revered as one of the most prominent experts on healthy living. Source
• Oprah Winfrey gave birth at age 14 and lost her child. She is one of the most successful and richest people in the world today, but Winfrey didn’t always have it so easy. She grew up in Milwaukee, Wis. and was repeatedly molested by her cousin, uncle and a family friend. She eventually ran away from home, and at age 14 gave birth to a baby boy who shortly died after. But Winfrey’s tragic past didn’t stop her from becoming the force she is today. She excelled as an honors student in high school, and won an oratory contest which secured her a full scholarship to college. Now the entrepreneur and personality has the admiration of millions and a net worth of $2.9 billion. Source

Everyone has something trying to destroy them. What’s in YOUR life?

WHAT NEXT

• Tell me where you see the need for your superpower in your life?
• If you want help from God simply say out loud God help me, He’s listening.
• Dare to believe you can tap into your superpower.
• Share a quote that’s left an impact on you in the comments.

Danielle Bernock

Author, Coach, and Speaker helping men, women, and organizations EMERGE with clear vision of their value, TAKE ownership of their choices, and CHART a path to their promise, becoming Victorious Souls who Embrace The Change from survive to thrive through the power of the love of God

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