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What if your worst villain was.. Yourself? In this episode, Jadyn wrestles with ‘adulting’ and how our biggest villains force us to reckon with our true selves.
What if the worst villain you could ever face, was yourself?
Because a possible war was brewing, Aang was informed that he was the Avatar 4 years before he was supposed to be told. Still a kid, grasping with having to deal with a new reality – the worst villain hadn’t even shown up. That villain ended up existing in Aang, himself, and he chose to run away. But you can never escape yourself, and Aang eventually was caught in a storm and was frozen for 100 years.
If I’m being honest, I don’t want to be an adult. Adulting is my villain. I even feel like the idea of an adult is trying to beat the kid out of me. As I grow older I recognize that there are things that I have to be responsible for, paying bills, driving around, not staying up past midnight – but why? I’m just a boy who loves playing video games, watching Korean dramas, and hanging out with my family. Why do we need to deal with everything that’s going on in this world – WHY?
Nick Villalobos is my good friend, someone you would enjoy sitting down with over a nice meal. If you know him on the surface level, you would think he’s just a funny guy. The dude is an amazing social butterfly and who is able to get you to tell life secrets that you’ve never shared before.
But even Nick has a villain.
“Myself, I feel like I sabotaged myself a lot. Way more than other people sabotage me. because my first year of college, I basically saw in myself that I’m afraid. Of letting myself down. Which is making me let myself down. Yeah. And it’s like, I’m, I’m my biggest barrier, know? Because I’m terrified of looking at myself in the mirror from like 2 years, three years from now when I’m older and saying, come on, like, you could have done better. Yeah. And I don’t know. I haven’t figured that out yet. Like, I’m 19, I’m young.”
Nick’s reflection makes me think of this Albert Einstein quote. Einstein says:
“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
We all have our unique abilities and gifts, however, the pressures of society can make you think that you need to fit into a standardized version of success. This results in many of us feeling insecure or unfulfilled or even more stressed.
That stress, however, is a sign that your body wants to do whatever it takes to survive. Those stress signals are an indicator that you’re doing something right, that you’re fighting to evolve.
Back to my friend, Nick. That discomfort and internal grappling he feels. Well, that’s his villain pushing him to recognize his full potential.
And that’s what villains are. They force the superhero to realize the full might of their powers, and more importantly, the villain holds a mirror to the hero, revealing their true self.
Think about Darth Vader. In Star Wars Darth Vader is portrayed as a dark, evil entity that reaps havoc on the galaxy. Sure, all of this might be true, but Darth Vader also presses the Jedi, and more specifically Luke Skywalker, to realize the power of the force. Only in the final battle with Darth Vader does Luke truly find the truth about who he is and where his power comes from.
The villain forces us to reckon with our true selves.
For me, the battle with my villain has taught me to set my own standard of success and not cave into the status quo. While fighting with adulthood, my inner-child found comfort in being weird and nerdy. The insecurity I once carried with me now exists in harmony.
And that’s what happens after the war. We must heal.
Now that we know that the villain of your life is actually yourself, then we can use that to our advantage. Competing against yourself is way better than enviously competing with other people. To a certain degree being your worst enemy is a good thing, because that means that you are aware of all your villain’s strengths and weaknesses.
So grab your Glider or your lightsaber, stand tall, and take a deep breath. You are ready. You are powerful.
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