Posts tagged Superhero
Are Both Captain America And Iron Man Right All Along?
May 8, 2016,4:36 pm
Without giving away any juicy plot twits and turns, the movie title “Captain America: Civil War” itself indicates that when two leading Avengers super heroes have irreconcilable differences, the rest of the group is forced to take sides. Even if you’re not a super hero aficionado, there are some takeaways from the movie that we can all use to reflect upon our own lives. After all, with 50% of marriages ending in divorce and its related collateral damage, chances are that you’ve been affected by your own personal version of a “Civil War” – whether it be your own, that of your parents, siblings, close friends, business partner, etc. Facing the breakup of a relationship or business partnership? Here are some things to consider:
If you do see “Captain America: Civil War” keep yourself open to experiencing some “Aha” moments – it will make the movie more personal, and enjoyable! by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available inspirational speaker Fantastic Frank Johnson
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Branding for Superheroes and You
October 17, 2013,6:39 pm
Just as the Nike “Swoosh” trademark is recognized worldwide, so is the Superman Shield. In marketing this is called “brand recognition.” Now globally known giants, these symbols had humble beginnings. The Nike “Swoosh” was created in 1971 for $35 by a graphic design college student, Carolyn Davidson. The Superman Shield started out as an “S” on a yellow police badge, and has gone through changes in how it looks and what it means. Every superhero has an identity or brand. A powerful way for you to reinforce your own heroic nature and your unique talents, is to create your own superhero shield. No one else has to know what it means – it will be just as potent for you to have in your pocket, as long as you know it is there. Find your own expression – you don’t have to wear a costume like me! Just make it Fast, Visual, and Powerful. Words are also part of branding. Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” is just as recognizable as their symbol. Our minds and bodies are affected by words. You may not realize it, but you are already branding yourself with words that you use to describe yourself. Understanding this is a key element in embracing being a hero. If I live my life as “Disabled Frank”, that means I am disabled; it becomes my identity. When I live as “Fantastic Frank”, represented by the “FF” on my superhero suit, I am better defined. I encourage you to find your brand and have fun with it! by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Embrace What You Resist
,3:12 pm
Sometimes we reject our own talents. Be patient with yourself – some comic super heroes also initially rejected their unique gifts. “The Thing” comes immediately to my mind. Before “The Thing” became “The Thing”, he was part of a team on a scientific mission to outer space. During that voyage, they were all bombarded with cosmic radiation, which resulted in the super powers that made them the “Fantastic Four.” Some heroes have two identities – the one in which they look totally normal and blend in with society, and the one in which they are wearing their super hero suit. “The Thing” transformed into a grotesque, huge, stoney looking character that looked that way all the time. Over about 50 years of comic books, this character struggled with seeing the positive aspect of his abilities, because he felt ashamed by his appearance and struggled with his new identity for many comic book issues. In the movie “The Fantastic Four”, The Thing also struggles, but relatively quickly gets to the epiphany where he embraces and even chooses his appearance as “The Thing” to help his team defeat Dr. Doom. As is the way with superheroes, The Thing’s embrace of what he resisted sprung from compassion. He was in a unique position of being the only one who could help, and he put the lives of others above his own self interests. Remember the Thing, and take a look at your own motives. Something you are rejecting may be exactly what will save someone else’s life. by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
From a Liability to a Talent to a Superhero Power
,1:50 pm
Something you consider to be your liability may actually be a unique talent to be developed into a super power! How about you? What’s holding you back? What do consider to be your liabilities? Now is the time to flip the hero switch, and turn them into assets. These hidden talents get discovered through adversities, which are tests; and life is full of them! Even positive events, such as falling in love, buying a house, getting promoted, or taking on a leadership role, can be an ordeal. In the midst of an ordeal, hidden talents rise to the occasion by necessity. You do things you’ve never done before; that you didn’t even think that you could do. It may not look like a big deal to someone else looking on, but inside, you know you’ve been through a life-altering change. If you’ve heard me speak, you’d know why I thought my voice was a liability. When I was rescued from the fire, the emergency tracheotomy which saved my life also destroyed my voice. Even after years of speech therapy, just speaking clearly is a challenge. For years I avoided conversation by living a rather isolated life. I was afraid that people would think I am stupid when they listen to my voice. I felt it was a liability, and not an asset. Today, it is hard to shut me up! My voice inspires others when I speak on stage, as a radio host, or on TV. I discovered that there is much more to a “voice” than what it sounds like. “Voice” is a message, a connection, and heart. According to Statistic Brain, 74% of people have a fear of public speaking, and this certainly included me! When people with this fear see and hear do public speaking, they are inspired. They think “If Fantastic Frank can get up there with a traumatic brain injury and damaged voice – so can I !” Time, dedication, inner strength, and passion can develop your talent to a level of proficient skill and expertise. For it to be a superhero power, it must be used selflessly to help others. by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Hero Foreshadowing in Your Childhood Inspiration!
,12:10 pm
You have probably not “planned” to be a superhero. In my logo, I am wearing my signature “Fantastic Frank” suit. The costume was “planned”, but being “Fantastic Frank” certainly was not! By the same token, being Fantastic Frank was foreshadowed in my youth. When you look back, your superhero nature may already have been foreshadowed in what captivated and inspired you as a child. As I share with you my own Hero’s journey, connect the dots to your own life, and uncover the hero within you. I became fascinated with super heroes when I was a little boy, and my father bought me my first comic book. It was a Super Man comic. The golden age of comics unfolded before I was born, and I slowly became aware that there were hundreds, maybe thousands of different characters that had been created over the past 20-25 years or so prior to me getting my first comic book. Because of when I was born, I fall more into the silver age of comic books, which is when the Fantastic Four, Spider man, and the other Marvel superheroes, which we are all familiar with, were created. Even as a child, what impressed me the most was that ordinary people were transformed into super heroes, through seemingly random, unexpected events. I didn’t classify the events as “traumatic” until I had my own traumatic event much later. I faithfully got every new hero comic that came out each month. They captivated me. They inspired me. They gave me hope that one day I could become a super hero and help other people. This was the first “foreshadowing” of my becoming Fantastic Frank. How about you? What captivated and inspired you as a child? Is there something about your life now that parallels that love? Do you still live based on inspiration, or has that been stomped out? What makes your heart soar the highest? These questions are a good start to unravel your superhero identity. Start here, and inquire further. by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Have your Hero seeds already been planted?
,12:10 pm
If you are doubting that you will ever have something hero-related in your life – consider the possibility that the seeds have already been planted. A foreshadowing of what is to come may have already happened, but you didn’t see it that way. Sometimes past events need time to germinate, to grow, and to blossom. For me, a foreshadowing of becoming “Fantastic Frank” happened when I was working for Eastman Kodak Co. This was about 6 or 7 years before I was trapped in a fire, when I wrote the lyrics to a song, for a project to raise funds for the United Way in Rochester, NY. The song I wrote is called “Today’s Not Gonna Be Like Yesterday.” To get ideas for the lyrics, I visited a facility for people with disabilities. At that point in my life, I hadn’t had any contact with people with disabilities Now that I have a traumatic brain injury, I am moved to tears when I recall some of the words that I had written many years ago, because I feel they were a foreshadowing of the event that was going to happen to me. The song begins with these words: Today’s not gonna to be like yesterday And I met the girl with the sunshine eyes, Little was I to know that about 6 years later, I would be the one who could no longer speak clearly. The other words that really get me are: “Today’s not going to be like yesterday, Remember, when you point your finger at someone, three fingers point back at yourself. I suggest that you revise your life, while on the look-out for moments that really struck a chord with you. Then compare that event to what you are doing now, and what you’ve become passionate about. How do they relate? What is the foreshadowing in your own life? by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Turn a Traumatic Event into a Super Power
October 16, 2013,3:08 pm
The Classic Hero Storyline.In the classic storyline, heroes are created during traumatic events. My life matches this storyline, but your personal hero creation may take a different route. Super Heroes such as Superman, the Flash, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and Captain America were all endowed with Super Powers when something traumatic happened to them. Superman was ripped from his home planet of Krypton and sent to earth in a spaceship. The Fantastic Frank storyline My traumatic event was being trapped in a fire and carried out in a body bag over 30 years ago. As a result, I got a traumatic brain injury, which I overcome every day. There were times that having a traumatic brain injury felt like a “problem” – even a curse. In “AH HA Moment”, I realized that, the life-changing trauma, of getting a TBI and losing the “life” I had known, gave me the “power” to deeply touch and inspire others as a motivational speaker. My “curse” has become my “blessing.” Although not as flashy as the heroes of my youth, with this “power” of inspiring others, I have been granted my childhood wish of growing up and becoming a super hero. Your Personal Hero Storyline The fact that you are here right now, reading this message, means that your mission or your purpose on Earth has not yet been fulfilled, because you are still here.Whatever your story is, whatever challenges you have to overcome, there is something unique to you; something wonderful and powerful. I know this because this is true of everyone. It just needs to be recognized and tapped into. Celebrate life by acknowledging the super and heroic things you have been empowered to do. Give thanks for your “powers”, and use them for good. Share your Super Hero story with someone; your spouse, kids, friends… If you say you have no one, share it with me! by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
Flip on the Hero Switch!
October 3, 2013,6:26 pm
Your HeroesFind the hero in you, and you find the heroes in your life. Who are the heroes from your youth? Now that you’ve “grown up,” who are your heroes? How do you feel while remembering them? Inspired? Motivated? Uplifted?How long did it take you to start feeling that way? – It was just in an instant, wasn’t it? The moment we remember our heroes, it is like flipping on a light switch, and we are inspired. If you are part of a team, family, or group the lacks inspiration: Flip on the hero switch! The hero in youPeople are inspired by heroes, and everyone has a hero within them. When you embrace your own superhero qualities, you will start to see hero traits in those around you. The more you focus on this, the more you will see. Peoplw will be inspired by you, and you by them. If you are not yet sure what your super power is, start by demonstrating these superhero “traits.” As you live them, more will be revealed. Superhero Trait #1 – Showing UpBy reading this, you have already demonstrated one very important characteristic of a superhero – you showed up! Ever notice that superheroes have an uncanny ability to arrive in the nick of time to prevent disaster or save a person’s life? Many of the most magical moments in life are possible simply because you are present. Superhero Trait #2 – Be Fully EngagedNow that you’ve shown up, the next superhero trait to demonstrate is to be fully engaged in life, in every moment. After all, Super Man wouldn’t show up, and then fail to catch Lois Lane as she is plummeting from a tall building! By fully participating in life, in everything you do, you magnify the possibilities to help other. Stay alert and open to newly emerging super powers, so that you can notice what resonates with you as you embark on your hero’s journey. It is different for each person. Superhero Trait #3 – Harness Your Unique PowerAs you get in touch with your unique power, you are obliged to harness that power to help others. You impact people’s quality of life and work every single day. Service to mankind is a superhero trait of the highest order. Pay it forward, and help the people in your life find the heroes within themselves. When this happens – you will have a totally different work experience than you are having right now. by Fantastic Frank Johnson PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/ |
