I met with my daughter at Star Bucks for an afternoon cup of coffee. I love hearing her thoughts on life and work. Even though she struggled in school, she worked hard and earned her BSN. Today, she works in the health care profession as a nurse in a cancer clinic. We sipped and chatted about our super powers.

If you had one super power, what would it be?

My one super power works like this.

I walk up to you and shake your hand. A tingly feeling passes from my hand to yours, up your arm and into your head. Then you shake your head and grin because you know something you hadn’t known before. You know that your brain has structures with specific jobs. These structures are complex and multi-layered. The networks in your brain work together for thinking, knowing and feeling. My super power gives you a “knowing.” And you know how to use your brain to learn whatever you need to learn. You understand that you learn how to learn. Learning is a skill and you can get better at it.

Learning is similar to working out. The more you work out  the stronger you become. I know this because…

I started working out with Camp Gladiator two years ago, in July 2016. I am  not athletic nor have I ever participated in sports. At first I was self-conscious. I felt out of place and clumsy. I couldn’t keep up with the workout or remember how to do the exercise. My body was in pain and I was always gasping for air. It was not fun. But, I kept at it.

There were three reasons why I didn’t quit. 

• First, my trainer had a positive attitude. He broke down each exercise into steps so I could follow along step-by-step. He applauded my efforts. 
• Second, the other campers cheered me on. Some campers were very fit and others were struggling like me. But everyone was friendly and handed out high-five’s. 
• Third, the camps were held at convenient times close to my home. I went regularly three and four times a week. 

My trainer has the super power I’m talking about. He  introduced me to my own muscles which were small and weak due to lack of use. My back or my shoulder would hurt because I didn’t have the correct form. I got plantar fasciitis because I didn’t stretch correctly and didn’t have the right shoes. 

I didn’t use those muscles because I didn’t know I had them or that I needed them. I didn’t know how they worked or what they did.  My trainer would explain the same exercise over and over. He demonstrated the moves and challenged me to work hard. My trainer taught me the connection between movement and muscle groups.

 “You’re a beast” or “Way to kick butt.” Translated that means, “I’m proud of you.”

My trainer.

My super power works like my trainer’s super power. You might feel overwhelmed. You might feel like you’ll never learn all the information for the final. You might be afraid that you’re never gonna make it to the end of the semester. Your learning networks might be weak because you’ve haven’t used them or maybe you’ve misused them. I grin and encourage you. I help you believe that if you just keep on and don’t quit, you’ll learn what you need to learn. I help you make the connection between studying and understanding.

My daughter’s super power? Like any good nurse who works long shifts with patients depending on her, her super power is to heat up a cold cup of coffee by just holding it.

Batman Photo by Serge Kutuzov on Unsplash