Spider-Man: No Matter What, Be Amazing!

Spider-Man: No Matter What, Be Amazing!

UNLEASH YOUR ALTER EGO

I remember picking up a copy of “The Amazing Spider-Man” when I was a kid, and aside from being stunned by the, well…amazing artwork, I always thought about how cool it would be for anyone to think of me as “amazing.” I always liked the Spider-Man costume as well. If you are wearing that costume, you better be amazing. I guess the closest that I will ever get to it though is when I get a workout wearing my unique Spider-Man hoodie and joggers.

 

“Amazing” is the highest adjective that I think you can use to describe a person. That said, I think that these days it has become a little overused, and much like the word “awesome” it may be in danger of losing its true impact. For example, the amazing Edmund Hillary was the first to climb the awesome Mount Everest. You get the idea.

We can’t control what happens to us, only what we do next

Spider-Man is definitely amazing, but not just because of his incredible abilities. As with anyone that has had a traumatic event happen to them, (and I do count being bitten by a radioactive spider, and then being able to climb walls a traumatic event.) It is what a person does next that counts most.

At some point we may have to deal with a traumatic event. It can be in many forms from a physical ailment to a psychological crisis. When it happens we can deal with it better by understanding that we can’t change the traumatic event, but only our reaction to it. We have choices. Some choices are more difficult than others, but they are choices just the same.

How to move forward

I have been a victim of a traumatic event myself: I was a victim of violent crime and to deal with the effects of the event I chose to study martial arts. I have known others that have survived and thrived after trauma as well. I have stood in awe of many people that have overcome so much that I thought that they must truly have some super power and they did: An iron will.

I knew a man that was paralyzed in a car accident in his 60’s. What he did next was nothing short of amazing. He rigged up his car to be driven by hand. Made his house more accessible and then got re-trained for another job and went back to work. He never parked in handicap spaces, and when I asked him about it he said he knew people worse off than himself. He worked full time until he passed on at the age of 76. He was always kind and understanding and never complained about his circumstance. I have idolized his attitude throughout my life.

What happens next after something bad or traumatic happens is entirely up to each of us. The choices we make are our own choices. Here are some things to think about if an unfortunate trauma happens to you and you need help moving forward.

  • A grieving period to acknowledge and accept a traumatic experience is a good idea, but give it a deadline, and then start focusing on positive uses for your time.
  • Don’t post about it on social media. I realize it is an old fashioned idea, but I think that some things are best left private to keep them manageable. Speak with a close friend or family member about your feelings.
  • Ask yourself, what is preventing you from moving forward? Be honest with yourself.
  • Be open to solutions even if they lead you in a very unusual direction. I was a musician and not very physical, but studying martial arts was what I used to get over my experience. It was scary, difficult and uncomfortable, but it worked.
  • Realize that others can help, encourage and counsel, but ultimately decisions are up to you.
  • Don’t be afraid to speak to a professional if for no other reason than to get an objective opinion.
  • Look inward and know that you will get through it and can overcome any difficulty because you are amazing.

Go and be amazing!

If we are lucky, we won’t have to deal with any trauma at all, and if we are so lucky, we should be grateful as well. Put on your Spider-Man shirt and joggers and practice martial arts, get a great workout, or do whatever you want to do. We should treasure having the choices we have. Things will happen to us, and we can’t vary the degree or know the time when they will occur. All we can do is experience the event, let the dust clear, assess the damage, and then the most important thing of all: Decide what we will do next. We should follow Peter Parker’s example and decide to be amazing.