Grabbing a tub of heavily buttered popcorn, you stare at the wide screen awaiting the transformation of your dreams. You watch a nerdy teenager on a school field trip, being silly enough to miss the opportunity to talk to his love interest and instead, photograph spiders !

‘ What’s wrong with you dude !? ’, you mumble while licking the butter off your fingers.

But then, out of nowhere, you witness a creepy insect transforming a human to possess unparalleled superpowers with added bonuses — no eyeglasses and a 6 pack abs without a 1000 crunches a day ! You start looking for that spider to bite you right NOW in the middle of that dark movie theater. Oh well, don’t lose heart, because none of us have found that spider yet.

The acts of heroism you witnessed on screen were controlled by the creator Stan Lee, The Superhero of Marvel Comics, who recently died at the age of 95. Stan Lee is the reason why you aspire to be an innovative genius like Iron-Man, or the man with all the strength in the world like Hulk or the selfless shield wielding Captain America.

But the reason why you have such a deep connection with these characters is because Stan Lee humanized each character, making them real flesh-and-blood characters with a personality that belied their supernatural strengths. Whether it was Hulk struggling with the dark and light sides of himself, or the timid insecure Spider-Man or the playboy Iron Man who creates an armored suit under critical conditions to escape captivity — the humanism got to us, and how !

While Stan Lee has left us with awe and wonder, he has also captured the foundation of humanity through his comics —

Pain is the Fuel for Creation

Underlying every superhero story, just like any of our life stories, there is pain and suffering in all its forms. Pain is inevitable and life is a struggle and probably will remain a struggle until your last breath. Hey, Iron Man’s problems didn’t go away after creating that suit, did they ?

So why must we torture ourselves each day constantly moaning over the inevitable struggle of life ? What if, instead, you were to treat every act of struggle as a mathematical problem requiring a solution?

Ok, you’re no good at math.. I know that excuse.

But the point is, pain has and will always be the reason for growth and creation. Look around you and notice how every little enhancement in your life is an outcome of pain. From the ergonomic chair you requested to soothe your lower back pain to the comfortable gel insoles in your shoes and even the wise experienced advice you offer your friends facing a heartbreak, it is all rooted in nothing but pain.

The journey from Creation to Wisdom lies in the Wounds we fight each day of our lives.

Your wounds are not the roadblock you must avoid, but demand your acceptance in order to grow beyond them. Each failure is a sign that you are still trying and more importantly a sign of being Alive !

The idea of Spider-Man was rejected at first as nobody wished to accept a teenager with insecurities being a superhero, and who liked spiders anyway ? But look how glued you are to your seat witnessing the creation out of rejection, that not only makes your heart thump, but churns millions of dollars with every spider web.

Your pain is not going to last until the end of time and no matter what circumstances you are in at this moment, it will pass. No, you don’t have to be frozen like Captain America and wait for your pain to go away, but learn to accept it now and decide what you wish to do with it.

Yes, make a decision about your suffering.

Not tomorrow, not after 5 pm, NOW !

Decide whether you wish to hold your life back with this pain and evaluate how many hours, days, weeks or months of productive creation you are willing to give up for it. Calculate the lost hours of learning, enjoying quality time with loved ones, exploring the world and most importantly the lost opportunities to grow beyond yourself and evaluate the trade-off.

Is moaning over your pain still worth it ?

Hell NO !

It’s time my friend. It’s time for you to get up and leave whatever it is that’s been keeping you from going the extra mile and if you need a hand, here I am 😉

Embrace that pain and bid your farewell to create the beginning of a happy ending of your life. Oh wait, don’t forget that half tub of popcorn. No harm in having some buttery crunch along with the struggle 🙂

Excelsior !