Quick!  What’s your “Go To Superpower”?  You know!  That one thing that you can be counted on to be the absolute expert at.  Don’t tell me “I don’t have one”.  Everyone is a “Go To” person. Honest!  It just takes some work to take a Go To Ability and turn it into a Go To Superpower.
You might not think of yourself as a Go To type, but you are.  Heck, I’m a Go To person in many aspects of my life, some of which I’d just as soon give to someone else.  Here are some examples:

 At Home

• I’m the Go To person for finding my son’s soccer jersey at the bottom of the laundry pile on tournament day.
• I’m the Go To person for answering the question “What’s for dinner” (and believe me, even our African Grey parrot asks me that every day).
• I’m the Go To person when my son wants help with his English homework (my husband is in charge of Math and Science).
• I’m the Go To person when a child wants money.
• I’m the Go To person for knowing what every family member’s schedule is all of the time – except maybe my own.

With Friends

• I’m the Go To person when someone wants to know about how their clean house is “dangerously clean”.
• I’m the Go To person when someone wants to meet at the wine bar after a long day.
• I’m the Go To person when discussing gardening and why our gardens always seem to get hailed on in Colorado.
• I’m the Go To person for NOT being the Go To person in organizing events.
• I’m the Go To person for telling hilarious stories about our parrot, because people without birds never tire of hearing about his antics.
• I’m the Go To person for lending a sympathetic ear whenever anyone has a problem or a gripe that needs to get off of his/her chest.

In Business

• I’m the Go To person for corporate email administrators looking to understand and improve their Novell GroupWise systems.
• I’m the Go To person for explaining technical details to non-techies.
• I’m the Go To person when dealing with just about anything technical, including Facebook options, configuring a Mac, explaining an iPhone, etc.
• I’m the Go To person when talking about how to sell products online.
• I’m the Go To person for helping home business people succeed by  . . . (and I’m stuck here)

In reality, most of us are actually the “Go To” person in so many aspects of our lives that the original question here seemed like a trick question.  But that’s the point.  While it’s fine in our personal lives to be the one that everyone else turns to (Moms, you know what I’m talking about), in business, and especially the online business world, we need to find a narrower focus.  

The challenge in business is to truly have a “Go To Superpower”.  Something that makes you almost invincible, but at the very least sets you apart from everyone else.  A trait, quality or ability that becomes inextricably linked to your name.

There are two methods of obtaining that Go To Superpower.  One is to just “be” that person.  You know what I’m talking about.  Some people seem to just be born with gifts and abilities that outshine everyone else.  For the rest of us, the only way to get that Superpower is to choose it, study it, and then claim it.  You will notice that the last bullet above under business seems like a dead end for me.  That’s because I’m trying to figure out what my next “Go To Superpower” will be.  In other words, I know I will HAVE one, I just haven’t defined it yet.  Skeptical?  Of course you are!  You can’t just say “I’m the best at showing busy people how to reclaim their time” and it just happens.  You can’t just say “I’m the expert at helping people who want to start a home business reach their goals” and just be it.  But honestly, that’s the first step.  You have to decide what you WILL be the best at, choose to find out how to make it happen, and then claim the title.

Here’s an example:  In my “other life” (that corporate email consultant thingy), I’m known as the GroupWise Goddess!  I mean, not just royalty!  Out and out deity!  Now I don’t want to downplay my abilities.  If I’m going to be totally honest, and eschew that whole modesty thing, I really AM good at what I do.  Am I the best?  Unlikely.  Am I the smartest?  Decidely not.  Did I decide that I was going to become an expert, and have other people come to me to have their questions answered?  ABSOLUTELY.  Now, if I had decided I was going to become an expert at something for which I have no aptitude, that would have been a disaster in the making.  But I knew that I understood this process; I knew that I was able to get in front of people and speak; I knew that I could write; and I knew that I was WILLING to take the chance and reach for the prize.  So, for the past 20 years or so I’ve been the GroupWise Goddess, and in doing so have been able to help thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations who rely on my abilities to make their email systems work, and their jobs easier.

So, I ask again:  what’s your Go To Superpower?  I’m still working on my “new” Superpower.  Not that being the GroupWise Goddess isn’t a good gig mind you.  But even Goddesses need to stretch their wings and try new things!

Danita