Literally, there's always something…

What would life be without challenges, right?

There's always something...
So get good at solving the somethings...

— Michael Agee (@TheMichaelAgee) December 12, 2023

Not so long ago, in a land much like yours, there was a guy… 

He complained… a lot. 

Saw the 'bad' before the good, for sure. 

Anything could make him upset. 

Rage even…

But not real rage…

More like a meme rage, the funny kind…

It's not because he was a negative person,

He was kind, generous, and empathetic. 

His life stories were insane, with wild twists and turns, and he could see the humor in it all…

In fact, you'd almost think he enjoyed the drama…It gave him something to experience and feel alive.

He'd usually tell the horrific story as if it were a joke. 

Similar to Richard Pryor.

The range and depth of his sense of humor was endless. 

He expected the drama and the challenges. Therefore, he saw them everywhere... 

In everything.

Picture the Matrix code with nightmarish red numbers and symbols instead of green. 

He had such a high bar of expectation for himself that he automatically expected the same for the rest of the world. So he would get upset when people wouldn’t meet his expectations…

Crazy right??

You know I'm talking about myself by now, I'm sure. 

Fast forward to now. 

I'm so gleefully optimistic it almost makes me 🤮

But it feels so f*kn great, I can't stop. 

I've finally reached a point where I'm confident I can overcome anything...

That’s what I want to help everyone be able to do…

So what changed? 

My PERSPECTIVE…

Here’s where YOU come in…

If you don’t already know… Most, if not all problems aren't really problems…

They're opportunities in disguise. These are chances to challenge yourself, learn new skills, test your resolve, and enhance confidence. 

It's ineffective to focus on the problem itself…

It’s happened, there’s nothing that can be altered in the past.

Just gain complete clarity of the situation, think it through, and then act. 

Focusing on the solution is much more effective and gets your mind into the right state to make things happen. 

After clarity on the issue, it's time for solution brainstorming. 

Many problems can be turned into actionable advice.

Which means you can share the advice.. hint.. hint…

It's how I've turned something that most people would think is a negative trait...

Into a HUGE superpower. 

I've been training in the depths of mental hell for decades… literally.

Now, I see everything as an opportunity. I can look at anything and see abundant opportunities...

And they're everywhere; I feel like I'm trying to grab tickets in one of those Chucky Cheese tubes.

Now life is all bright skies, in the mid to upper 70s, a light breeze, after a light rain, with rainbows in the sky, dude…

I've never been happier, and that’s what I want for everyone.

And it all comes from:

Realizing your Superpower

Here are some examples of problems that could be turned into opportunities:

• Your team constantly runs into the same issue every X days. Whether it's daily, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. It's a recurring issue, and it sucks every time it happens. (process improvement)

• A maintenance task falls through the cracks every single time because everyone is so busy they miss the email. (process improvement)

• Your kids never know what they want to eat... ever. (Ideation or Planning)

• You log into an app, and it has everything but that one thing you really need it for, and they still charge you monthly... (Ideation)

• Your app or website continuously breaks, crashes, or has security issues or bugs. (automation opportunity)

• Team communication could be better. (leadership opportunity)

• People in your circle all feel the same way or complain about the same things, and you're there to help them through it. (social group idea)

I think you get it by now. 

And remember that you don't always have to be the one to implement the solution to solve the problems. Being a visionary or organizing people's motivations and talents is extremely valuable. Listening to and uplifting others are skills that are needed all over the world.

But if you think about how to solve dozens of problems, you'll start noticing a pattern...

A system to how you attack challenges, process and organize the information, and execute the solution.

That's your superpower!

Maybe its:

• Motivating people. 

• Organizing information or people

• Seeing how to make things easier or work more efficiently

• Listening to others

• Inspiring others

• Teaching others

• Making people laugh or cheering people up

• Coming up with outside-the-box ideas

It's in there somewhere you just have to look for it. One book that really helped me with this process was Discover Your Dharma by Sahara Rose < Great Book!!!!

She walks you step by step through finding your purpose and helps you realize that it's not a life sentence choosing one thing you do with your life, but it's more of a higher goal that you can use your skills and passions to achieve. And these change over time, giving you flexibility and freedom. I highly recommend that book.

Ok, So what’s next:

Ok, so you realized your mutant ability, 

You're thinking about how to use it to help those around you.

What's next? 

Practice.

Find challenges to tackle.

Use your newly redefined system to do it. 

See how many problems you can solve using the same process.

Volunteer to take on more significant issues at work and see if you can organize, inspire, and mobilize multiple people to help you resolve them. 

Take note of how many people you support and their reactions to your help. 

Are they always like: 'Wow! Thank you! You should really be <your dream role>! You're really good at it!'?

If so, you might be onto something. 

Research what it's called. Is there a role for it? Is there a title for it? Is there a position for it inside of your current organization? Is there a market for it outside of your job? 

More importantly...

Is your current position aligned with what your superpower is? 

You may realize that even though you're in a job you're good at, you're not fulfilled. Sure, it pays well and is sufficient to fund your current lifestyle, but does it leave you longing for more? 

You’re moving, but It may also be a time for a change, to pivot into something that utilizes your inherent superpower in an industry you're passionate about. Don’t confuse motion with action.

This type of realization can:

• Motivate you to start moving towards a new role within your current organization.

• Encourage you to pivot your career entirely.

• Inspire you to start a business using this newly realized superpower. 👀

It can change your life...

Don't feel stuck in character simply because you've been doing it for X+ years.

Why do you think I write every day now after being a software engineer for 10 🤬 years!?

Keep dreaming and doing...

Growing and evolving...

Taking risks, learning, and failing...

It helps you feel alive...

At least it does for me... And that’s what I want for you. No matter how you get do it.

Until next time. ✌🏽

Oh yeah…

I recently started posting on Instagram and Twitter. These are more 'Mike' if you like raw, dragon-punching, hurricane-kicking inspiration over the more professional sort.

Follow me on LinkedIn.

If you have a project you'd like to collaborate on, I'd love to hear from you.

Later!

_{This post contains an amazon affiliate link}