Your Super Power: Captain Re-Evaluator

Good Morning Everybody,

Imagine you hear a knock at your front door; you open it up and there’s a guy wearing a cape and a superhero outfit. He’s got the whole pose goin’… hands on his hips, head turned to the side, chin tilted up at a 45 degree angle. So you’re like, “Uh, hi, how can I help you?” And in a bold manly voice he responds, “I am Captain Re-Evaluator Man! I have the power to re-evaluate anything!”

So you’re like, “Nice to meet you Captain Re-Evaluator Man. Nice tights. So, uh, why are you here?” 

With a gleam in his eye he proudly declares, “I am endowed with the amazing superpower to re-evaluate how I view any event in my life. If at first I find a situation stressful, irritating, gloomy, or infuriating, I RE-EVALUATE MY ATTITUDE! I find a positive way of looking at things to put myself into a positive state of mind.”

So you think for a second and then ask him, “How does that make you a superhero? I mean, I have those powers too.“  

And then, in dramatic superhero fashion, he takes a slow-motion step forward and says: “Everyone has those powers. But they’re only SUPER powers, if you actually use them.”  

Friends, can you imagine how difficult life would be if we couldn’t change how we felt about things?… If we were stuck forever with our negative initial reactions to the stressful events and perturbing people in our lives. Thank G-d we get to CHOOSE OUR THOUGHTS and CHANGE OUR THOUGHTS. Thank G-d our attitudes and knee-jerk reactions aren’t written in stone! Thank G-d we have the ability to challenge our negative assessments and ask ourselves questions like, “What’s good about this? What does Hashem want me to learn from this? How can I view what that person did to me in a more beneficial and MEANINGFUL WAY? How can I re-evaluate this unpleasant interaction with my co-worker, my family member, or that uncooperative customer service representative with fresh eyes so I can genuinely believe it’s for my good?”

Let’s take advantage of one of the most under-utilized powers Hashem has blessed us with! The SUPER POWER to re-evaluate our negative attitudes. Let’s take an active role in choosing how we frame things so we can better control our emotional states. It will dramatically upgrade the quality of our lives, and help influence those around us to do the same. 

Have a super-powered day everybody, and a magnificent Shabbos,

Marshall

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