I. Steve Jobs' Mastered the Superpower
To celebrate Steve Jobs’ 69th birthday, I posted several insightful quotes...
...While browsing his best insights, I had an aha! moment. Reading another’s thoughts is like chatting with them, after all. And because talking is nothing but thinking out loud, I enjoyed chatting with the most influential mind of our age.
Something dawned on me as I scrolled through Jobs's words of wisdom. At this point, I'm afraid Jobs’ outlandish persona — from his over-the-top managerial style to countless other eccentricities — conceal his true genius.
It’s almost as if Jobs’ persona has been caricatured in the likes of Musk’s and Kanye’s antics. “I’m Steve Jobs!” West infamously roared during an expletive-filled rant in Paris.
Yet the more we peel back layers from the Jobsian persona, the more we realize his so-called “antics” were merely a result, not a goal...
...A result of what?
Steve Jobs’ mastery of The Superpower.
In a world where the only way to “stand out” from the crowd is to stand in isolation first, Jobs basked in the glow of his own uniqueness.
After all, what more is a “normal person” than the corpse left behind after society has squeezed out all of his unique dreams and opinions?
“To believe your own thought,” said Emerson, “to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men — that is genius.”
From daring to challenge the status quo with innovations ranging from the iPhone to the Mac, Jobs – though not a betting man per se – always bet on himself. In short, till his last breath, Jobs wedded his life to this insight:
💡 Realizing throughout history there will be only one of you = Your superpower
II. Everybody is Born with 'The Superpower'
“The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms."
– Socrates
Armed with the Socratic method, it's apparent like most things — the word genius has been distorted over time.
Perhaps the ancient Romans had it right all along. After all, in Latin, genius simply means “attendant spirit present from one’s birth, innate ability or inclination.”
(*Note: the prefix pre- makes its appearance in present, i.e., pre + sent to one’s birth.)
According to the ancient Romans, everyone comes into the world stamped with a genius! In the Vedic tradition, this ancient wisdom is called one’s dharma (धर्म).
In short, by firmly grasping what's meant by the expression “genius,” you'll better grasp The Superpower. Perhaps the following equation best reveals what I'm grappling with here:
Because each person's environment is UNIQUE + Each person's genes are UNIQUE = In all of history there NEVER was, is or will never be another you.
Bingo!
No wonder genetics proves it's impossible for two people in the world to be exactly alike... not even identical twins.
In addition to our unique mix of genes, there's also the uniqueness of our upbringing.
If you truly understand the above, you'll abruptly know why not being yourself is the worst form of self-disrespect. In short, John Lennon, another master of this superpower, put it best:
💡 "It's weird not to be weird."
III. Follow Your "Different" to Unlock Your Dreams
Wise indeed was whoever first said in this life, we can be anything but someone else. After all, the word individual means “single and distinct from a group or class.”
The next time you pass the bathroom mirror, consider stopping dead in your tracks...
...Then, stare deeply into your eyes — those orbital windows to your soul — and mumble: “Right now, I’m staring face-to-face with the only best friend and enemy I’ll ever see in this lifetime.”
Then, gently pat that unique face staring back from the glass, as if you were born blind and had just now received sight.
Touch your distinctive cheekbones.
Graze your unique eyebrows.
Flash a smile! And then, dare to go meta — smile at the mere glimpse of your own smile. Remember, there never was, is or will never be another smile quite like it.
Take note of your one-of-a-kind gait.
Sit quietly for a second, and listen to the hum of random thoughts playing in your third ear. After all, so far as our thoughts are always private chats with ourselves, it must be the case — you alone dance to the beat of your own drum.
Carry on this exercise for an extended period, and it’ll abruptly dawn on you why the African proverb tells us whenever an elder dies, a library burns to the ground.
After all,
💡 No one is you = Your superpower
IV. The Takeaway
What if at the moment each person is born, the Universe whispers this: "the Game of Life is rigged in your favor, dear mortal, you merely have to be yourself to win?"
If History teaches nothing else, she teaches us if you’re bold enough to be yourself, the world will pay your price... eventually.
“Fortune favors the bold,” Virgil whispers from the grave...
...Perhaps the above explains why Einstein and Jobs, two of history’s greatest iconoclasts, were also the most influential.
Einstein and Jobs both wedding their hopes and dreams to The Superpower, even at the price of their livelihoods. Heck, Jobs was initially kicked out of his own company. As for Einstein, many in the scientific community pegged him as a “crackpot."
Yet today, we remember the handful of great individuals, not all those good conformists. After all, mastering life’s superpower merely calls for realizing throughout history there will be only one of you.
In short, Steve Jobs, one of the true masters of The Superpower, put it best:
Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently [...]. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.
