CHAPTER 1

The Origin Story

 

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“I’m gonna tell you a story. At first, it’s gonna sound ridiculous; but the longer I talk, the more rational it’s going to appear”.

Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, in the movie “Edge of Tomorrow”.

 

In almost every superhero movie there is this scene where the villain or the antihero of the movie makes a public appearance causing havoc and panic. People are screaming and running in every direction, drawing the picture of absolute chaos. They are lost and completely surrendered to their emotions; utterly helpless to defend themselves and those around them; unable to think of an escape plan or any kind of action plan. The only one that stands tall and fearless in the face of danger is our superhero. Ever so calm and still; always fearless, always present; fully aware of her strength; fully aware of her surroundings, fully aware of her purpose. Ready to act when circumstances demand it. Ready to help in any way that she can; ready to serve and create a better place for everyone around her. A silent power – to be more accurate, a silent superpower. 

It is something like the mental state of young Leonidas in the movie 300 when he was alone in the wilderness preparing to fight the giant black wolf.  As Dilios narrates the scene, “It’s not fear that grips him, only a heightened sense of things. Cold air in his lungs, wind-swept pines moving against the coming night. His hands are steady, his form perfect”.

In that crucial and decisive moment everything around them is clear. All of their senses are functioning at peak level. Even during the most difficult test, they are able to stay calm, their focus laser-like.  

It is a kind of calmness and clarity that stems from true power and that power comes from true knowledge. What knowledge? you might ask. It is the knowledge of their true identity; the knowledge of their true nature; a kind of knowledge that is always with them. A knowledge that is also a supreme power; a superpower. A superpower that stands above any other kind of power that we know, mostly because the superpowers that we’re familiar with are fictional concepts, a construct of the entertainment business that serves the fictional aspect of comics and action movies. The essence of what we are talking about here is about a different kind of power. It’s actually the one and only true superpower there is.

At this point I am sure that you are either baffled or deeply curious, like “Come on, what’s the freaking superpower? Out with it already.” Ιn the pages to come, you will find out that there is actually a secret to superheroism, there is such a thing as an attainable and applicable superpower, one that has been highly desired by humans as long as homo sapiens has walked this earth. You’ll also master the way to apply it in order to become a superhero. And this is something that you can bet on.

But back to the scenes that I just mentioned. Wouldn’t what I just described be our ideal self in every difficult circumstance and predicament that we find ourselves in? It’s not just fiction and it’s not only for the movies. Wouldn’t it be great to bring out this exact version of ourselves in any given situation? Wouldn't our world be a better place if every person, every parent, every professional, every leader out there, be it the president of a country, the CEO of a multinational company, the coach of a basketball team, or the teacher at a high school class, possessed this kind of philosophy and self-mastery? I bet that it would.

Think of it like this: society is highly influenced by prominent figures of the business world, business magnates really do have the power to shape not just the zeitgeist of our era, but also people’s worldviews and mindsets. Just think about all the famous billionaires and how even a single statement from them can affect either the stock market or the way particular social groups perceive a situation. So, I’ll ask again: can you imagine a world where the mentality and the self-mastery that I talked about typified every person of influence out there, every individual in a position of authority, every political or thought leader who has the power to shape the thinking of others?

The real question however is this: is that even possible? And if it is, how on earth are we going to achieve it? This is exactly what you are about to discover in this book. This is also how the whole idea for a formula that creates superheroes was born.

My journey started in a rather unexpected place. I mean, the revelation about what makes someone a superhero shouldn't have come to me while working in the banking sector of all places, an industry that is usually viewed by the general public as dubious at best and the devil’s spawn at worst. But the truth is that it did: I came up with a mathematical equation that makes superheroes and superheroines out of the common folk while I was climbing the corporate ladder in a prominent financial institution. Back then I had just started advancing in the bank’s hierarchy when it dawned on me that there was something fundamentally amiss with the dynamics in the corporate world. 

The reality of the banking industry can often be a hard pill to swallow. Competition is ruthless, the players can be merciless, working environments are often challenging, most people in senior managing positions are more bosses than actual leaders, so when it was my time to choose whether I’d be a boss or a leader, I tried to find my own unique way of being successful and effective.

They say that you should become the change that you would like to see in the world. And my own personal journey started when I found myself at the helm and I realized that I wanted to become that change. I wanted to become the leader that I’d like to see in this world, especially in the shark tank that is also known as the banking sector.

I wanted to be able to bring the results that were expected of me, but at the same time I wanted my team to feel inspired and energized rather than exhausted and intimidated. I wanted to be able to promote an environment of excellence in which everyone would happily go the extra mile, while at the same time feel good about themselves. An environment in which everyone would pay attention to detail and at the same time feel safe and inspired to be creative and bring ideas that are aligned with the interests and goals of our team. Kind of like having the Avengers or the Justice League working zealously on a project with a very tight deadline.

It was on one of the many days that I was trying to solve the ever-present conundrum of how to have my team actually want to meet our objectives and to do so happily, when I came home to my wife and told her a crazy idea. An idea that was about to change my life. I asked her to imagine this very, very hypothetical scenario: “imagine working with Superman – as in, the famous Kryptonian who is neither a bird nor a plane. That Superman”. If you just did a double take, so did she at the time. But in the end, it all made sense, and she eventually shared in my Aha! moment and joy of the revelation. Hopefully, in a few short lines you will too.

So, let's just say that you somehow happened to work alongside Superman on a project. Let’s just say that there were no villains left to fight and that he had a nine to five job like your average Joe. Before you call me a wacko, ask me what I’ve been smoking, and throw the book across the room (and if you’re reading this on a device, then definitely don’t throw it across the room), remember how this chapter started: “I’m gonna tell you a story. At first, it’s gonna sound ridiculous; but the longer I talk, the more rational it’s going to appear”. So, try to play along for just a minute no matter how crazy or bizarre it may sound. I promise you that everything will make sense in the end.

Forget about his superpowers for a moment and just focus on the person.  This responsible, highly trusted, kind, polite, selfless, worthy being, with his high morale and strong sense of duty. You know, that admirable being that we all came to know and love. I am talking about this aspect of Superman. So, if such a scenario ever existed, if Superman himself came and told you “Jen, I am working on this new project, which I need to deliver by the end of the week. The truth is that I am at a loss, and I really need your expertise and your help to complete it and do it on time. Would you be so kind as to help me? That’s the question I posed to my wife and then I asked her: Do you know anyone on planet Earth who would actually refuse to offer their help to Superman? Can you imagine anyone brushing freaking Superman off with something like “forget it man; you’re on your own”, or “I don’t know, I am quite busy this week”, or even something like “That’s not in my job description. Besides they don’t pay me enough for that”. No! There is no way anyone would refuse to help Superman. Unless it’s Lex Luthor, no one would dare say such a thing to Superman. But the most important realization was that everyone would step up not because of who and what they were, but because of who and what he was; because of what they saw in him and what he awoke inside them. 

Someone who possessed the qualities of Superman would have people saying “you can count on me. I got your back. I don’t know if we can actually make it on time, but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help.”

The real question, though, is why? Why do we refuse our help to any other person that we do not think as highly of, but when it comes to someone like Superman, we are willing to give the last drop of our blood in order to help them? Tell you what, we’ll get back to that one in a minute. 

Initially, this is what I aspired to do. At the time, that was the outcome that I was hoping to achieve. That was my initial intention: be the change and lead by example. That was the key I was looking for; to be a successful and impactful business leader who would be able to inspire and motivate every person around him.That was how my journey started.

However, little did I know back then that I was completely mistaken. I was utterly deceived. Because what I have come to perceive as the key to becoming an ideal leader in the business world, was actually something entirely different. Something that I honestly did not anticipate. It was a completely different key than the one I thought I held in my hands. A key that was about to utterly and irrevocably change my life. It’s a key that I now know unlocks every door, because it was deeper and more meaningful than I ever even began to imagine. 

I believe that it is the key that will propel us towards the next stage in mental evolution and human awakening and a way for every human being to be in alignment with life itself. I know that these may sound a bit heavy, but I'm really not trying to be fancy and I'm definitely not trying to sound like a prophet (not even close actually). I am merely talking about what you will soon see for yourselves: our unique superpower, a human trait that I am deeply in awe of and one that neuroscience has been waxing poetic about. And as time passed, as I researched, as I practiced what I found and walked the talk, I came to realize that this key, this mentality, this superpower, can be attained through a simple mathematical formula. A superhero formula, to be precise. It is a rather simple equation, but one that can transform a human being and turn them into a superhero. In the words of Dr. Strange himself, “it’s a simple spell, but quite unbreakable”. 

But what exactly does this mean, what does it entail? I promise you that you will find out soon enough. And I like to think of this whole process of finding out as some sort of revelation and, since we’re talking about superheroes, I’d like to think of this process as an origin story; your very personal tale that shows how heroes and heroines are made. A superhero tale.

Superhero tales have always been inspiring and intriguing. And perhaps one of the most inspiring and interesting conventions of all superhero tales is the famed origin story. Now, everybody knows what an origin story is. And everyone knows what an origin story is not just because origin stories are, hands down, the best part of every superhero movie out there, but also because these backstories constitute a decisive and pivotal moment in the hero’s journey. 

How did Dr. Strange go from being an egotistical, self-absorbed neurosurgeon to a mighty mystical sorcerer and a devoted protector of humanity against the dark forces? Well, the origin story is here to tell you how. Origin stories as narrative archetypes reveal and explain just how a superhero became an extraordinary being of remarkable powers. No matter the particulars and the different story of each hero and heroine, one thing that all superheroes have in common is this etiological, background account that retells the events that led to our heroes and heroines gaining their powers.

It’s the same with every superhero, in the sense that each hero’s journey begins somehow. One day the common man is not that common anymore; the transformation has happened, the threshold has been crossed, the hero is forever changed.

The origin story is a favorite staple of the genre because it is all about transformation: you have this dude or dudette and suddenly, bam: they’re not mundane creatures anymore; they’re set apart from the rest of humanity, never to be the same ever again. This is what the origin story contributes to the superhero genre and it is also a favorite of mine. Give me Batman Begins anytime of any day and I’d happily watch Bruce Wane become Batman just as Bruce Wane has always deserved to become Batman. The origin story explains a lot and it is a staple of the genre precisely because it is about transformation and identity and what actually makes a difference.

The question then is: when it comes to our own transformation, when it is our time to cross that threshold, what would our origin story be and where would our journey begin? What is the transformative event that would launch our own personal story? This is where the Superhero Formula begins.