What is the Superman Syndrome?
It is a series of common behaviors that permit an otherwise normal individual to rise above normality to alter paradigms. What makes a myth key to transforming oneself? To begin most people have been programmed in school and at home to conform and to grow up and leave their imaginative ways to the children. They are told to go to work and become a slave – the traditional way — and to live life in the slow lane.
The world’s visionaries have not been so molded or have altered that mode to fit their needs. The have a strong sense of self often born of a willingness to be different. When that is coupled with a mythical mentor that is larger-than-life, the possibilities open up vast opportunities. Most people are unwilling to play in such an arcane arena. But those who can emulate a hero are destined to more than they thought possible.
Can you do that? Can you play in the bigger field of possibility?
For me the transformations started to come when I started paying attention to things that people blow off as bullshit. People that lift others up. Listening to stories of people that had worse conditions that I did but somehow managed to drag themselves out of the crap. It helped reset my perspective and shut down that part of my brain that wanted to whine about what I didn’t have and couldn’t do. I believe the formal term for this is “self-limiting belief”.
A short list of your self-limiting beliefs might be:
- I have no money now to start a business.
- I can start it next year and I’ll be fine.
- I need a college degree to get ahead in the world.
- Only the smart billionaires deserve success.
- My idea sucks. Nobody will buy it.
- I need a business plan and a big loan to start a business.
- I’m broke and that’s just the way it was. My grandparents were broke, my parents were broke so I’m destined to be broke as are my children.
- My race can’t get ahead in this world.
I can go on and on. That list above took me about 60 seconds to crank out. If I spent an hour on self-limiting beliefs, I could generate 1-200. I’ve seen them. I’ve heard them. And for every one I have heard, I can find somebody who overcame that belief to do amazing things on this planet.
My point is: You are Superman the day you start believing you are Superman Play bigger. And lift others with you while you start your journey.