Grab a notepad and answer the questions as many times as you can. Don’t worry about nailing down your powers with every answer. Just write down whatever comes to mind. After you brainstorm a while, I show you how to use your answers to pinpoint your superpowers.

Question 1: What are you always doing?

Look around your life. Name some things that you find yourself doing over and over and over. Some examples:

• “I am always giving people directions.”
• “I am always fixing technology.”
• “I am always connecting people together.”

What are YOU always doing?

Question 2: What do people always come to you for help with?

What do your friends, family, and coworkers seem to lean on you for? What are you always fixing for people? What are you always helping others do? Some examples:

• “People always come to me for help with mediating arguments.”
• “People always come to me for help with setting goals.”
• “People always come to me for help with organizing large amounts of information.”

What are people always seeking YOUR help for?

Question 3: What do you always feel compelled to volunteer for?

When you’re in a meeting at work, or the PTO, or Church, or anywhere and they ask for volunteers to help with something, what tasks or roles do you always think you should raise your hand for based on your skills & interests (NOT based on how desperate the need may be)? Some examples:

• “The job I always feel compelled to volunteer for is planning events.”
• “The job I always feel compelled to volunteer for is writing and sending emails.”
• “The job I always feel compelled to volunteer for is physically building or assembling things.”

What volunteer roles always call out to YOU?

Question 4: What talents do people admire in you?

Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, particularly the shoes of someone who has a pretty decent opinion of you (we all have at least a few of those). Now that you’re pretending to be someone else, what do you think that person admires about you? Some examples:

• “People admire my ability to explain complex information in a simple way.”
• “People admire my ability to make things look pretty.”
• “People admire my ability to always see the bright side.”

People admire YOU for something. What do they see?

Question 5: What do you do that makes a difference?

Some of our activities and abilities are simply more fulfilling than others. Which ones for you make you feel like you make a difference? Which ones do you feel change something (or someone) in a positive way? Some examples:

• “I feel like I make a difference when I make people laugh.”
• “I feel like I make a difference when I comfort people who are hurting.”
• “I feel like I make a difference when I take work off someone else’s plate.”

This one should definitely make you smile. What do YOU do that makes a difference, large or small?

Question 6: What is your favorite thing in the whole wide world to do?

If there is something you enjoy doing way more than anything else, it could hold clues to your superpowers, because it gives you an idea of what gives you the most pleasure and energy. Some examples:

• “My favorite thing to do in the whole wide world is having dinner with friends.”
• “My favorite thing to do in the whole wide world is traveling to new places.”
• “My favorite thing to do in the whole wide world is teaching kids how to play the guitar.”

What is YOUR favorite thing to do?

APPLY THE SUPERPOWER TEST

Now it’s time to pinpoint your superpowers.

You probably have a pretty lengthy list of answers to the 6 questions above. Every answer definitely indicates a strength for you, but they’re not all superpowers. Here’s how to narrow your list down and pinpoint which ones are likely superpowers for you.

To determine if something is a true superpower, it must pass this simple test. For each of your answers above, ask yourself these four questions. If you answer yes to all four, it could be a superpower for you.

1. Does it come naturally to me?

   This doesn’t necessarily mean you were born with it, just that it feels completely natural to you at this point in your life.

2. Am I better at it than most people I know?

   You don’t have to be the best in the world, you simply have more skill in this area than most of the people you know. This is one of the few times it’s ok to compare yourself to others, FYI.

3. Does it help people?

   Does this ability or activity benefit others in some way? It’s ok if it benefits you, too, but a true superpower helps more people than just you.

4. Do I enjoy using it?

   There is a high likelihood that several of the answers you came up with are activities and abilities that you might be quite good at, but you don’t particularly enjoy doing. A true superpower is something that you enjoy and look forward to. It gives you energy more often than it depletes you of it.

 

NARROW IT DOWN

So what do you do if multiple answers pass the superpower test? I suggest narrowing down to three. Here’s how:

• Run your answers through the test again. Which three pass the test with the most flying colors?
• If you’re still unsure, then give more weight to the second half of the test. Which ones help the most people and which ones do you enjoy using the most?

The reason I want you to narrow it down to three is because you only have so much time and you want to use that time to contribute your best, help the most people, and get the most enjoyment out of life, right? By focusing on your top three superpowers, that’s exactly what you’ll be able to do.

Discovering and using your superpowers is one of the core principles of living a Superpowered Life.