Recently I had the privilege of spending the weekend with around 50 other men in the Nashville area. Unlike most gatherings of men, this one wasn’t focused on sports and booze. This one focused on us helping each other become more authentic as men.
To frame the event a bit more, there are 70 of us that belong to Aaron Walker’s “Iron Sharpens Iron” Mastermind Community. We are broken down into groups of ten, who meet on a weekly basis. Our discussions focus on helping each other with our personal, professional, and business growth. Over time we have come to know each other very well; and, the proverbial curtains have come down. It’s raw. It’s real. And it’s transformational building a connection with ten other men. When you let down your guard and open up to them, they’re able to rebuild you into someone that you never would have imagined you could be.
And this past weekend we went through an exercise together that was transformational. Within our groups of ten (eight of my ten brothers were there), we sat up straight and listened to them lovingly tell each other about our Superpowers, our Kryptonite, and our Blind Spots. Now just so you don’t get the wrong idea, when I speak about “lovingly”, it’s NOT about hugs and cuddles. It’s about honest, sincere and direct feedback about what they see we NEED to address in our lives to grow as men. I’m NOT going to share what they taught me about myself OR about what I saw others learn. I AM going to share what I saw, heard, and learned about Superpowers, Kryptonite, and Blind spots that I believe to be universally true for men. So here we go:
Superpowers. Those things that we do as men that are amazing. The key here is that we all have our own UNIQUE giftedness. For some it is relationships. For some it is working with their hands. For some it is speaking. For some it is working with their minds. We ALL have our Superpower and we need to embrace it. Further, we all need to recognize other’s Superpowers and embrace them. Scott Beebe took all of us through the DISC profile and this tied directly into the concept of Superpowers. Some of us have the D Superpower of Dominance. We focus on getting things done. Some of us have the I Superpower of Influence. We focus on relating to others. Some of us have the S Superpower of Stability. We are there for others and can be counted on through thick and thin. Some of us have the C power of Compliance. We make sure that the details are addressed and nothing is overlooked. As Psalm 139:14 tells us “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” On the Superpower front, we all have one (or more) and we need to embrace it
Kryptonite. Those things that will bring us to our knees. Those things that will neutralize or take away our Superpowers. These are things that we don’t like to admit. The things that as men we are not strong enough to overcome. Come on guys, get real. We all know what effect Kryptonite had on Superman. It brought him to his knees. It made him weak. It could literally destroy him. And we all face the same Kryptonite…
Lust. Whether it be for fame, for power, for fortune, for women, or for some other idol our lust can and will bring us to our knees. When we let some idol of lust into our life we are brought to our knees. Lust is about putting someone or something in front of God. And that doesn’t work. We know this from Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Our Kryptonite comes in the form of idols. It comes in the form of the transitory versus the eternal. It comes in the form of the flesh versus the Spirit. We all have it. And we all need to become aware of it. Or it will bring us to our knees and destroy us.
Blind Spots. Those things we just don’t see. By its very definition, we CANNOT see our own blind spots! Only with the help of others are we able to see the blind spots. And many of us doubt that. And therein lies our shared Blind Spot. Our Blind Spot is that we all buy into the myth of self-sufficiency. By its very nature the belief in self-sufficiency blinds us from/ prevents us from getting help from others. We buy into the myth that we alone are capable. That’s just not the case we need the help of others. And when we do, we are able to see our Blind Spots and get past them.
Matthew help us understand EXACTLY this point. In Matthew 18:20 he shares that “For where two or three gather in my name, I am there with them”. We can get God’s help when we call on our brothers to help us. Because when we call on them, He is there for us. Don’t buy into the myth of self-sufficiency – it will blind you and cause you to walk into harms way.
In a nutshell:
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Superpowers = Your Giftedness.
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Kryptonite = Your Lust.
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Blind Spots = The Myth of Self-Sufficiency
This past weekend I sat with eight other men and we came to terms with our Superpowers, our Kryptonite, and our Blind Spots. And I KNOW that these brothers are going to hold my feet to the fire and make sure that I face each of these key things head on. They’re going to help me to become a better man. Personally. Professionally. Spiritually.
So what’s the point? Simple, you need to identify your Superpowers, your Kryptonite and your Blind Spots. BUT, here’s the key, you CANNOT do this alone! The only way you can do this is with the help of other men that know and love you.
That leads us to the key question: Do you have other men in your life that know and love you enough to help you identify your Superpowers, your Kryptonite, and your Blind Spots? If so, you’ve got an easy path in front of you. Get a hold of them. Set up some private time and get to work. If you don’t have these men in your life, you’ve just found out what you need to do. Look around (at work, at church, at the kid’s events, etc.) and identify men that you can build a relationship with to go through this exercise together. It’s NOT going to be easy to build these relationships. But it is going to be well worth the effort.
And if you have any doubts, drop me an email and I’ll be happy to give you the names of 50 men that will back up 100% what I have just shared.
Have a great day and remember that a life of significance is all about making an impact in the lives of others.
