“All children are born geniuses; 9,999 out of 10,000 are then swiftly and inadvertently degenuisized by grown ups.” -Buckminster Fuller

I remember like it was yesterday lacing up my PF flyers “center hi” canvas sneakers, grabbing one of mom’s bathroom towels and tying it around my neck, and, well, you know the rest of the story. There wasn’t a house on the block I couldn’t jump completely over nor a car on the street I couldn’t outrun. I believed, actually was convinced, that I could do anything and was fearless in trying. What I have come to learn over the course of my career is how many other people could leap small buildings in a single bound as a child and had their own aspirations of saving the world. So what happened?

For many of us, we have a story in our heads about being the products of our parents or our upbringing. We let those stories define us, giving away our present and future to the past, yet all the while are reminded time and again that “we are a miracle” as written by Dr. Ben Michaelis in his book Your Next Big Thing; born with the extraordinary potential to live a life of meaning and contribution. Dr. Stephen Covey may say it best in The 8^th Habit stating: “The power to discover our voice lies in the potential bequeathed to us at birth. Latent and undeveloped, the seeds of greatness were planted.”

A path forward may be to think beyond ourselves and consider our families, our friends, and quite frankly all the people we will meet during the course of our lives. For us to embrace the fact that when we unleash our potential we often find ourselves directing our attention towards helping others release their potential. A ripple effect that can result in positive social change. Covey describes it as follows: “The essence of being human is being able to direct your own life. Your power to choose the direction of your life allows you to reinvent yourself, to change your future, and to powerfully influence the rest of creation.”

I do believe there is a superhero inside each and every one of us. That we are all here for a reason and by allowing that reason or greater purpose to guide our choices, we truly can make a difference and live a life that matters. Dr. Michaelis closes his book by saying: “You are a miracle. There has never been another soul like you; nor can there or will there ever be. Make the most of the miracle of you by giving of yourself without losing yourself. What you share will come back to you in riches greater than you can ever imagine.”

Let’s all choose to put our capes back on and make the most of the miracle that is us, and quite possibly save the world along the way.