I’m (going to be) a superhero

Yes who will I save?
Sometimes in reaching our own resolutions, I suppose its only natural to think in terms of saving our…situation, our job, our…selves. James Altucher wrote about being a super hero to others.
Sounds too hard.

I negotiate in order to save my principals. My directors who are giving me direction, guidance even. I guess in doing so, I’m actually saving my job. My thought at the time is I’m doing it because “they” wanted it, but bottom line I benefit too.

But today, I’m not thinking of how I can save my own situation.
What would happen if I thought instead to save someone else?
Who would that be?
And why would I do that?
Even more to the point, how would I save someone?
From what?

Everyone needs to be saved in some way, don’t they? Maybe not in the way we think either.
It’s not like we’ll swoop down and rescue someone from a burning building or some other tragedy.

I think we all need our own saving. Maybe from our lives, maybe from ourselves. Who knows exactly from what, but we still need a “saving.”

So today, I’ve decided to be a “secret” superhero. I’m looking for people to save.
Could even be you.

Maybe someone needs a friendly good morning smile. Maybe a few dollars to buy lunch.
Many years ago, a guy came to me and asked to borrow $10. He had worked with my late uncle several years before and so I gave it to him. I didn’t think I’d ever be repaid. But, I thought “he’s a friend of my uncle.”
Three years later, he stopped in my office and gave me a $10 dollar bill. He remembered, I had forgotten.
I never knew if I had saved his life but maybe for that day I did.

Maybe I can listen to someone tell me about their seemingly hopeless situation. Maybe a boss needs to show how much he knows, even if he really doesn’t know all that much. I can listen and nod my head in agreement.

Not long ago, I could never have seen myself in this role. I was too wrapped up in my own world. My own issues seemed so heavy to bear. The burden was great. How could I possibly even think of others when my own world seemed on the verge of crashing?

My view began to change when I realized, again, that I really didn’t have it all that bad.
Our own circumstances often seem so dire we sometimes have trouble realizing in the scheme of everything else our issues are very small and inconsequential. My troubles certainly were.

I once read something about in a hundred million years the sun will burn out and all life on earth will die.

What could I ever hope to achieve that will be missed when it’s wiped out forever when the sun flames out?
Not much. I can’t think of anything that really matters with that flame out perspective.

That flame out scenario brought me to superhero status. Maybe Altucher was on to something.
If what I was anxious about really didn’t matter in the long run ( millions of years from now since our planet is doomed) then I was free to just try and enjoy everyday. And since I’m trying to enjoy everyday, what if I put to good use this new found freedom.

So, I’ve decided to save others.
If anything I do makes them forget about whatever is so important to them now, well then I’ve saved them. From what? I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter.

And, hence, (I’ve always wanted to use “hence” in a sentence) because of that, I’m a super hero.
And maybe saving others will eventually lead to saving me.

Just don’t step on my cape.

JT

how you like me now?

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