How to be a Superhero – Part 2: Becoming more Aware

This is part 2 of my series, “How to be a Superhero.” If you missed part 1, you can read it here.

Have you ever noticed that superheroes are highly aware of what is going on around them at all times? A superhero pays close attention to what is being thrown at them and is able to respond with the correct actions that defeats the bad guys.

While you are not fighting a super villain bent on taking over the world, you are trying to help people that might not know how to explain what problem they have that needs solved. For example, think of the last time you tried to explain to your mechanic the funny noise your car was making. Was the mechanic paying enough attention to both what you were saying and how you were saying it to determine the cause of the noise? Was he (or she) able to diagnosis the problem based on your non-technical description?

If yes, then the mechanic was aware of both what you were saying and how you were saying it. This is not only important for mechanics, but also important for anyone that has to listen to a technical problem being described by a non-technical person and find a way to fix it.

Other examples of superhero awareness are:

The Tai Chi Instructor that can see you doing a movement incorrectly in the mirror 30 feet away with his back turned and is able to yell out a correction to your form.
The web designer that knows that when a customer says they want a “Facebook thingy,” they are referring to the html code that allows visitors to follow their page on Facebook.
The life coach that can tell by the posture of their client that they have not completed the task they said they were going to complete the week before and is able to offer advice on how to get the task done.
The copywriter that sees how the incorrect placement of a product name distracts page visitors enough that they might not click on the buy now button and makes a correction for their client that increases sales.

Awareness can be developed as you develop your superpowers, but having a heightened awareness of the world you inhabit makes developing your superpowers far easier and allows you to see problems that other non-superheroes miss. Not having a heightened awareness of how someone is explaining a problem is like the mechanic who doesn’t listen to your description of the funny sound your car is making and charges you $150 even when he can’t find anything wrong with your car.

Awareness is a very powerful tool and developing a keen awareness of what is happening around you is important when using your super powers to help people with their problems.

How aware are you?

Here are some questions to determine your current level of awareness:

What was the color of the last bathroom you used?
What was the eye color of the last person you spoke face to face with?
How many stairs are there between where you are sitting and the entrance of the building you are in?
What was the last person you saw today wearing?

If you were able to answer any of these questions, then you are more aware than the average person. If not, that is OK, but I encourage you to work on developing your awareness if you want to be known as a superhero.

Why is Awareness Important

Being aware of the world around you is important for two reasons:

It gets you out of your own head
It helps you better understand others
It allows to your correctly diagnose problems that might not be apparent to less aware superheros

Getting Out of Your Own Head

How often have you been thinking about something while driving and then coming to the realization that you were not aware of the road for the past few minutes? Have you ever lost focus while someone was talking to you and you had to ask them to repeat themselves?

When we are not aware of the world, it is because we are caught up with our own thoughts. We are thinking about what we have to do after this moment when we should be focusing on what is happening in the world around us.

Understanding Others

When you are out of your own head, you are better prepared to pay attention to what someone is trying to tell you. Everyone communicates differently, so being able to take in the person’s voice, body language, and the words they use are important to understand the problem they want you to solve.

When you become aware of the changes in the pitch of their voice, the pauses before they make excuses, or other cues in their manner, you will be able to see where the real problems are and give them constructive solutions using your superpowers.

Developing Awareness

Becoming more aware of the world around you takes practice. We have been conditioned over the years to be inside our own heads, so it can take a lot of work to start focusing on the world around us. Here are a few simple things that you can do to help you focus on being more aware:

Notice your breathing

Set a reminder in your calendar to notice your breathing 10 to 12 times per day. Are you breathing deeply? How often are you taking breaths? Are you breathing in and out of your nose, mouth, or a combination of the two? Realize that you are breathing every second of the day, but most of the time you don’t even notice.

Count steps

When you encounter a series of steps, count how may steps there are between where you are and where you are trying to go to. How many times have you realized that there a four steps up to your office? How many steps are there from the first to second floor of your home? Becoming aware of the steps allows you to also notice the color of the walls, the floor, and other features of the world around you.

Observe others

What color of shirt is the person you are talking to wearing? What color are their eyes? Are they wearing earrings? When you notice the person you are talking to, you begin to pay attention to the subtle clues their voice and body language are giving you. This awareness can help you figure out if what someone is saying is exactly what they mean or do you need to help them dig deeper to find out what problem they really need solved.

Becoming Aware

Becoming aware is a great way to help you develop your superpowers. Ah yes, your superpowers. Have you thought about what your superpowers are? If not, then spend some time thinking about them and we will work on developing your superpowers in the next post.

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