As a generally bubbly, happy soul, it’s strange for me to say that I’ve actually had a weird relationship with being called an optimist.

Friends or family may have poked fun at me at times for always seeing the sunny side of a situation. Over time I’ve now realised it’s actually my strength and superpower.

I also noticed that over time what I had down was adapted in ways to retreat, to know that when being ‘sunny’ was called for and when to back down from it.

I remember an ex once told me I was an ‘idealist’ and it almost felt like an insult at the time. Like being a dreamer was somehow a bad thing and now going to get me far in life, or that I was living in an illusion.

At the time I Felt an equal urge to fight back and defend my honour, convince them as to why it’s okay and at the same time, I wanted to fold, to converge, to agree that life isn’t always a fairytale.

What strikes me most is how internal this whole process was. That me taking offence at times was a choice that also meant I was buffering a part of me. Shrinking what made me me.

Last year I reached out to friends, family and a few professional connections. I asked them all what they thought were my superpowers were.

Over and over again I received the same response:

You’re super optimistic/a positive person

Your enthusiasm, positivity, sunny-ness

Your positivity and bubbliness

You dream big

Your can-do attitude

All these qualities they loved and saw as my strengths were they very ones I used to tell myself to ease off on.

Which proves the point – the conversations going on inside your head is rarely (if ever) matched to reality of what people truly think and feel.

So, instead of bending and shaping to fit an ideal (that you essentially made up in your head), why not lean in to what makes you you? Your superpowers. Your joy points.

For me, I’m a dreamer. Always have been and always will be.

And dreaming big is the magic juice when it comes to creating a life that truly feels incredibly to be living. And that is truly matched with how you want to feel. The bigger you can vision the more you can create. I’ve learnt to step into my superpowers more. To acknowledge them and value them.

But it doesn’t mean it’s always easy. I still notice myself stepping back a little from being ‘too positive’ at times. Or ‘too sunny’. Worried in a split second what people might think or whether it’s appropriate. Now, I choose to catch myself in those moments and acknowledge them.

I try my best to pick the courageous act, the motion that would be me speaking my truth – like truly leaning in to the sun. Or simply acknowledging that I held back a little on being me, and reminding myself that it’s okay to speak up. To be full of sun, to see things in a whole new light. After all, that’s part of my superpowers. And if I don’t use them, that’s just a bit of a waste, right?

What’s one of your superpowers, and when last did you use it?

Be superhero and help a friend find their own superpowers today – share this post with them. ❤️