This week I’d like to kick off a series inspired by the Super Mario Brothers video game series.  This week is about Mario, Super Stars, and invincibility.

Super Stars have been a staple of many Super Mario Brothers games.  Once Mario grabs a Super Star, he becomes faster and INVINCIBLE, able to run through bad guys and projectiles without taking any damage.  The only problem is that the Super Star is NOT permanent.  The moment you activate a Super Star you only have a few seconds before the effects wear off.  While the Super Star might provide a temporary boost, it’s not enough to get you to your ultimate goal.  Sooner or later you become vulnerable again.  If you keep trying to run through bad guys and obstacles the way you did when you were invincible your character will get hurt and eventually lose.  Once you’re vulnerable again, you have to engage with the challenges instead of being able to hide behind the mask of invincibility. 

How does this connect with anything?  Similar to Mario, I’ve had periods of time where I make myself invincible.  I convince myself that I can’t be hurt.  I convince myself I don’t get tired.  I shut my mind off to anything unpleasant and just keep pushing forward running through anything and everything in my path.  At the same time, I ignore all that is truly happening around me and the impact it has on me.  Do you ever do this?

I don’t think invincibility is all bad.  There are times when we need that Super Star invincibility.  There are times when we need to just plow forward for short bursts to get through something.  At the same time, we can’t be invincible forever.  Sooner or later, we have to remove the mask of invincibility and engage with life’s challenges as vulnerable people.

The challenge: Do you accept that you can’t always be invincible?  How will you embrace the challenges of life as a vulnerable human?

Confession: I don’t know about you, but life has been extra crazy lately.  I feel I’ve been tapping into invincible star power to push through for a few weeks.  Now, I can feel that invincibility fading.  When I was younger, I’d ignore that sign and run myself into the ground.  But now, I’m already trying to make mental space to slow down, regroup, rest, and figure things out.  If you’re feeling like your Super Star power is fading out, I hope you make room to rest and recover too.

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry