Do you want to be a real life superhero? I do.

I started dreaming about this when I was barely old enough to walk. In fact, I’d wear superhero outfits under my clothes. Sometimes in the middle of a mall, I’d take off my average person clothes and run around ready to save the day with an emblem on my chest and a cape flying behind me. It probably wasn’t my mother’s favorite moment shopping.

When I was a kid, I read a lot of comics. I liked Batman, Flash, Thor, Daredevil, Wolverine but my favorite was Spiderman. Spiderman is funny. I think having a sense of humor is a superpower. He obviously can do other incredible things as well – climb buildings, jump super high and far, have the proportionate strength of a spider, sense danger and react with incredible reflexes and speed. What makes him more appealing is that he is more like a real-life superhero.

When he isn’t being Spiderman, Peter Parker has regular problems like real people. He struggles at work with his boss. He needs to pay the bills. He has had various relationship challenges. His family commitments can get in the way of his heroic plans and so on. This makes him relatable.

Still, every day, regardless of his personal challenges, he would get out there and be a hero! This is worth reflecting on.  There are stronger, faster and more powerful superheroes but that didn’t stop Spidey from getting out there and doing his best to help people and make the world a better place.

There are two questions that I’d like to discuss on how to be a real life superhero.

1. How can someone be, or stay, ready to be a real life superhero?
2. What does it mean to be a real life superhero?

But how can someone prepare to be heroic and remain in superhero form for when the world needs saving?

My Recipe for Cultivating Superpowers and Being a Real-life Superhero

For the last three months, I’ve been writing and speaking about an approach I think is a valuable strategy to add better balance and health as we navigate the digital age. That’s the MIND approach.

Reflecting on superheroes, I realize they often incorporate all the aspects of this approach in one way or another.

I like to use the MIND approach for more energy but it can be applied to increase vitality in many ways.

In a nutshell, MIND is an acronym that can be broken down as follows. I’ve also included links to articles where I detail some of the strategies in each more thoroughly.

M is for Movement: See A Movement Diet, The Power of Two Percent, Move Beyond Exercise

I is for Inspiration: See An Inspiration Diet, Meditation is Better, Sound Healing

N is for Nature: See A Nature Diet, Recapture Wild Health, Unplugged, Bored & Dirty

D is for Diet: See A Ridiculous Diet, The Perfect Diet, and other articles on the blog too.

How is this a recipe for a real life superhero?

Consider Spiderman.

Movement:

He certainly moves a lot and rarely does he consider it exercise. In fact, I don’t think he works out at all. However, he does use a wide variety of movement patterns, balance, agility, mobility, flexibility, anaerobic and aerobic activities to unlock his full physical potential.

I can’t stick to walls, at least not yet but I’ve taken up tree climbing, ground movements like the ape, the frog, the stiff bear and other actions that have improved my capabilities and vitality. I’m no spring chicken either but it feels great and makes me aware of age as being just a number.

Real-life superheroes move past what someone at a certain age should and shouldn’t be able to do. I consider the capacity to Never Grow Up a superpower.

Inspiration:

Whether it be swinging from building to building, gazing on a unique vista, having an important mission to fulfill or being driven by a formative event from their past, superheroes have deep inspiration driving them.

If you think about most superheroes, they have all these aspects present.

While I don’t swing from buildings, I do find inspiration in spectacular vistas and a desire to make the world a better place for my children. I also have a history that has inspired me to seek out a certain life and purpose.

I’m confident you do too.

Nature:

Spiderman lives in New York City but he finds solace in Central Park. He enjoys being perched in the trees, being under the stars and gazing at sunrises from rooftops. In fact, he’s a great example of someone who is immersed in a really big city but manages to get value from nature’s presence.

Superman has the Fortress of Solitude in the Artic. Come to think of it, Superman gains his power from the sun in our solar system. Now that’s nature-infused power.

Batman has the Batcave.

Wolverine goes into the Canadian wilderness (I can relate to that).

Most, if not all of these superheroes retreat into nature to recharge, gain perspective and power up. Now, that’s a clue for the rest of us.

When I need more energy, nature is my go-to source for a deep and substantial infusion.

Diet:

While the comics and movies rarely expose the true dietary practices of superheroes, you’d be fooling yourself if you think anyone with superpowers and a physique that looks good in full body spandex doesn’t eat really well.

Regardless of how much exercise they do and how many powers they have, a beer and pizza diet does not result in being super and certainly, not a real life superhero.

From cognitive function to energy to physical strength and endurance, diet can give powers or leave us susceptible to defeat. If there is “kryptonite” in what we ingest, we will become weak. If there are the micronutrients, antioxidants, and amino acids we thrive on in our food, we will be nourished deeply.

Nourishment is vital to sustained performance, resilience, and maintaining a positive mind and strong body. Perhaps, the greatest superpower of a real life superhero might just be a positive outlook.

Looking back on many amazing accomplishments in history, I see, time and time again, figures who believed they could accomplish the heroic. These historic real life superheroes were fed by real food (they didn’t have today’s junk anyway) and nourished through their particular MIND approach.

Now, it’s our turn, if we choose to accept it.

What is a Real Life Superhero?

To me being any kind of hero doesn’t mean NOT being afraid, making mistakes, having weaknesses, or dealing with self-doubt.  In fact, in my opinion, helping others in spite of this is what truly makes a hero.

As far as being a real life superhero, I think it is the same as being a hero but a superhero perseveres to help others and make the world a better place even when the challenges I mentioned above are significantly greater.

Getting down to the core of it, it requires facing a great challenge to push a hero into superhero territory and define them as such.

Back to Spidey. I have to mention that Spidey is also smart and perhaps, more importantly, capable of problem-solving in creative ways. This is another reason he stands out to me. He would often face foes and odds that were heavily stacked against him. This would require him to use his head more than his powers.

It’s a good reminder for me to work smarter not harder. It motivates me to look for new solutions to challenges I’m stuck on. It also inspires me to not be defeated by seemingly insurmountable odds. When you look at history, most great achievements happened when they were thought to be impossible.

Real life superheroes change impossible to I'm possible Click To Tweet

I believe anyone can be a hero and a real life superhero if they push past their perceived limitations, help others and utilize that truly human superpower, an open-mind that creatively tackles problems.

And remember, “with great power comes great responsibility.”