the challenge
Today we are on a creative exploration looking for Insights inspired by the Superpower Seed. We can look for a specific superpower or try to find a new and surprising interpretation. Let’s see what surprises this day will enfold.
my insight
I decided not to think about a specific superpower or even about the classic definition of superpower in advance. I kept the Seed in mind and started my day.
The first thing I came across that triggered the Superpower association was this old electrical board. The association between electricity and power is quite obvious. The interesting part is that it looks likes the complete opposite of a superpower: it is old, broken, and seems to be barely working. We’ll reflect on that in a minute.
Later that day, I walked near the beach.
From a distance I saw a mother and her daughter standing on the waterline — where the water meets the sand. Their feet got wet. The mother was hugging her daughter, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight — as if protecting her.
I didn’t want to intrude and take their picture, but I couldn’t stop thinking this is the ultimate superpower — the unconditional love of parents to their children. It can help overcome so much, but not everything though. It has its limitations as all superpowers have. And the best thing about it is that it is an enabler — with this love any child can grow their own superpowers.
reflection
The two Insights I captured today were based on unconventional associations to the Superpower Seed. The first one seemed to be the complete opposite of superpower. So, does it qualify as an Insight for the challenge? The answer as you might guess is: of course it does. We are not looking for the right answer. This is not a guessing game and not a brain game where you have to go inside the mind of the author of the challenge. We agreed when we started this journey that anything goes, and the more surprising and less trivial the association is — the better.
And the same applies to many real-world challenges we try to solve. Looking for the right answer is often a waste of energy. Often there is no one right answer to look for. Trying to breakthrough the limits of the original challenge — redefining the challenge first — is often the only effective approach.
This approach also applies to the second Insight I captured. Instead of thinking of superpower as something unnatural and out of this world, I managed to capture a superpower anyone can have — one which is common to the point we might take it for granted. It is the act of labeling the parental love as a superpower that makes all the difference. And once you think of it as a superpower, nobody can argue that it does not qualify as a one.
mental notes
- Don’t look for the right answer — look for a good one.
- Sometimes the best way to address a challenge is redefining it.
now it is your turn… be creative!