Discovering Your Superpower | Healthy Aging Series: S12 E3
My Superpower
I wanted to quit. I was a quarter of a mile from the summit of Mount Quandary, and I wanted to quit. I could see a small crowd of hikers gathering at the top. Sitting. Enjoy enjoying a snack. Laughing. Prior to Quandary, I had summitted twelve 14ers. In fact, I had done eight 14ers in seven days a few years earlier, four in one day. They call those four, the Decalibron and included: Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln, and Bross. I had done two in one day, Gray’s and Tori’s Peak. And then Sherman and Pike’s Peak on separate days.
So, when I approach the summit of Quandary, I was surprised to hit a wall. I wanted to quit. I could hear myself say, “No one will ever know. I can just tell everyone I submitted. I would count it anyway. I could see the top, and that counts.” Eight 14ers in seven days.
Back on Quandary, I had hit a wall. It was like that last mile of a Marathon. So, I sat down on a rock and took some deep breaths. After a few minutes, I began to feel a power start to flow through me. I could feel something happening to me. It was like a superpower. I could hear a new voice inside me saying, “Listen, why get so close to the top, only to turn around? That’s not you! Get up! Put one foot in front of the other. Get your ass to the top!” It was like a sense of purpose had energized me. It was a superpower flowing through me, and soon, I joined the others on the summit.
I wonder if you’ve ever felt like quitting.
It doesn’t have to be a physical mountain. We face all kinds of challenges, especially as we age.
Where does that superpower come from, that sense of purpose, that ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other?
I’ve been working my way through the Harvard Health Review 2025. This episode comes from the article “10 ways to Find Purpose in Life” (pp. 13-14), or what I’m calling, “How to Discover Your Superpower.”
This article asks, “Why is a sense of purpose so powerful and potent?”
Matthew Lee, a researcher with Harvard University explains, “Several studies suggest that, compared with people who don’t have a sense of purpose, those who do tend to perceive stressors as being less difficult and cope better with stress. That might help them avoid some of the physiological effects of chronic stress that contribute to heart attack, stroke, and early death.”
How does one find a sense of purpose or discover their superpower?
Here are 10 suggestions from the Harvard Health Review 2025:
1. Zero in on your strengths. Everyone has strengths. It could be psychological like, fortitude or perseverance, or emotional, like the ability to remain optimistic, or it could be behavioral like your ability to be kind, generous, and caring. What is your strength? Often times your strength is indicated by what you enjoy doing, and what others think you do well.
2. Think about the obstacles you have overcome in your life. All of us have done something that we are proud of, something that we’ve accomplished. We can draw our strength and our sense of purpose from these past experiences. Every hill and every summit that I had done energized me and gave me that superpower to summit Mount Quandary.
3. Draw up a “Purpose Timeline.” Our lives go through phases and our purpose in life changes with those phases. I don’t feel the same purpose that I had when I was a father with young children. My sense of purpose now is setting a good example for other people in their 70s, 80s, and 90s. My sense of purpose is helping others find a sense of well-being and helping them develop the ability to self-soothe and develop coping strategies. That’s what gives me a sense of purpose.
4. Look for role models. I love to read memoirs of people who are aging and of people who have overcome great obstacles, like extreme weight loss. There’s really nothing special about these people other than they are wonderful examples of how to overcome obstacles and finding a sense of purpose. Who do you see as a role model?
5. Become a mentor and share your superpower with others. We typically go through two phases as we age and the last two involve giving back and letting go. I love the idea of giving back and sharing my superpowers with others. That’s what gets me up the mountains. That’s what keeps me writing these blogs.
6. Think about what the world needs. What the world needs now is people like you and your superpowers. Your superpowers could include being a source of strength for your partner, your grown children, or your grandchildren. It could be helping feed the homeless in a local shelter. It could be looking after a neighbor. What the world needs now is the superpowers that you have recognized in yourself. Maybe your superpower is to confront the bigotry in our country. Maybe your superpower is love.
7. Read Viktor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” It’s rare that our life situation would be as desperate as Frankl’s, as a prisoner in a Nazi death camp. In trying to understand what helped Frankl endure and survive the death camps, Mathew Lee points out, “The prisoners who were generous, connected with others, and those who found meaningful ways to support each other, were more vital and survived longer. They found a way to relate in a loving way to each other, and there was purpose in doing that.” Frankl’s book was inspiring. Read his book. Another book that inspired me was, “Night,” written by Eli Wiesel.
8. Write your own story. I strongly recommend this. I’ve done a lot of writing about my life and the complexities that make up a big part of my unconscious. Jane Fonda, in her TED talk, “Life’s Three Acts,” suggested that our third act is all about discovering how we became who we are.
9. Write your own obituary. I haven’t done this, but I think it’s a great idea. Who else knows you better than you. This can give you a sense that your life has had purpose.
10. The Magic Wand. I oftentimes use this in a therapy session by asking a client who seems stuck to consider what they would do if I waved a magic wand over their head and gave them three wishes. There’s a poster in my workout room that suggest that we should go in the direction of our dreams. The Magic Wand intervention is all about dreaming and following those dreams. Part of discovering your superpower is imagining all the wonderful things you can do with that superpower.
What is your superpower? I believe it’s a power that will see you through to the top of any summit you face and help you find a sense of purpose in life.
It’s a sense of purpose what will see you through those difficult and challenging years ahead.
