Celebrating Our Unique Powers: My Super Power by Lizzi Rogers
I was so excited when Lizzi agreed to contribute to Celebrating Our Unique Powers. I only met her recently, but our paths crossed on many virtual planes: she became a member of a Facebook group that contains incredible women and writers; she was one of the founders of the #1000Speak movement which spread compassion around the world; she introduced me to the power and possibility of Spoken Word on the internet (and doesn't know that I am working on a piece that I will eventually get the courage to share). She has a magic over words that I envy--the ability to tug at emotions and share with raw honesty even her most painful realities. In a very short time, I have discovered another kindred spirit. As I read her post, I wanted to celebrate her discovery of her own power because it is one of the most valuable ones I can imagine having.
***
My Super Power
There were no bites from radioactive bugs. I suffered no zap of lightning or immersion in toxic waste. No ancient masters tutored me, and I (probably) didn’t ingest any experimental drugs.Nor are my powers inherent - as a mewling, helpless babe, I was just that.
I grew normally. I didn’t suddenly ‘blossom’ into power as a teenager. Quite the reverse in fact, you see, LIKE most superheroes, I had a secret:
I was not nice.
I would look at the somehow-blessed, attractive people, who bitches like me couldn’t even hate because they were just LOVELY, and I would seethe. So I satisfied myself with finding equally bitter and cantankerous people to hang out with. We snarked behind the backs of those who were surrounded by adoring others, and I watered my disappointment with regular doses of comparison and failure.
In the end, I decided that there was only one thing to do – I had to become nice. So much of the negativity I felt towards others came from envy and a deeply rooted sense of inadequacy. I knew even then, in my late teens, that I’d never be as good as I wanted to be. I wanted that lightness and that way of making each person feel wanted and special. I wanted to be liked, and I wasn’t certain I was worthy, or even capable of the task.
But I could try.
My goodness, has it taken some trying!
But here’s the thing – the more I tried, the more response I got, and the more response I got, the more I wanted to try. I was beginning to WIN! I ended up with a circle of acquaintances and a Soulmate, but in the end, it was the internet which showed me just how awesome my power is.
I started a blog on Blogger, and was tireless in building my community. Then I transferred to WordPress and by then, my group – my tribe – were functioning and wonderful and had formed relationships amongst themselves (thanks in large part to the Ten Things of Thankful hop) and they all came with me, and welcomed new members to the gang when the WordPress writers began joining me.
To say I was thrilled would be an understatement, and the hop burgeoned and grew and the community would rally around each other, commiserating the bad days and celebrating the good ones together, because in spite of the massive geographical disparity, they cared.
I’ve developed traditions of sending glitterbombs and In Real letters, filled with gifts and sparkles, to friends with whom strong connections have developed. I got BlogMarried. I’m a SisterWife.
All of these things are about sending out spider-webs of caring-about-others, and ensuring that no-one is left dangling at the end of a line. It takes courage (being honest with others about my feelings is still often very tricky for me), it takes perseverance, it takes determination, and with all that, it takes LOVE.
Then 1000Speak happened and within days of putting the idea out there – that we all need to BE The Village – people were flooding in from all corners of the world, to write about compassion for our fellow human, and what it meant to them.
The more I fell in love with this movement and what it’s endeavouring to do, the more I realised that my SuperPowers are content – people have come together on purpose, to ACTIVELY write about compassion and send the message to the corners of the earth.
I’m not here to have a great, swishy blog full of the latest tech. I don’t mind that my writing has been rejected by the ‘big bloggy sites’. I can’t stand the idea of a blog which fits into a niche (where’s the freedom?). I’m not promoting myself or my writing (yet). I’m not here to be adored – the wonder and delight of true friendships has taken over from those selfish, teenage dreams.
I am in the right place, at the right time, using my SuperPower for something which excites me more than the idea of being published on HuffPo or selling my words;
I build community.
I make friends.
I love.
I am the PeopleGatherer.
Lizzi is a Deep Thinker, Truth-Teller and seeker of Good Things. She’s also silly, irreverent and tries to write as beautifully as possible.
She’s living Life in Silver Linings and *twinklysparklygoodness* because two miscarriages and a subsequent diagnosis of spousal infertility will rather upset anyone’s applecart. She borrows other people's children to love in the meantime.
Lizzi is a founder member of Sisterwives and #1000Speak, and hosts the Ten Things of Thankful bloghop each weekend.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Considerings
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LRConsiderer
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LizziR/posts
Pintrest: http://www.pinterest.com/LizziConsiderer/***
If you would like to contribute to this series, read this post and join in the celebration@
When people come together, they can change the world as they do in P.O.W.ER. Lizzi would have been a great help to Andra BetScrivener
[custom_buttons_shortcode]
