In an interview, Warren Buffett was asked what superpower he would like to be granted. His response: “I’d like to have the ability to read faster.”
I loved this answer, but when I shared it on Twitter, a few people said something like, “That’s dumb. If you read faster, you won’t retain the information.”
Ah yes, but it’s not about speedreading per se—since he’s a fairly smart guy, I’m pretty sure that Mr. Buffett understands the concept that we don’t retain everything we read. It’s not usually nice to assume, but in this case it’s a safe assumption that he’s talking about actually learning faster—the ability to consume and apply more information in a shorter period of time.
Here’s my response to the same question. If I could have any superpower in the world, of course I’d choose the ability to fly. Wouldn’t everyone?
A close second to flying would be the ability to become invisible at will. I’m not the only one who fantasizes about those superpowers, right? Both of them would have no shortage of fun applications.
But if I can’t fly or be invisible at will, I’d like to have this superpower:
The ability to always know exactly what to do next.
Harnessing this superpower would be of immeasurable value. I would be unstoppable. Instead, I sit at my computer for hours and think, “What’s next, right now? What’s most important at this moment?”
Sometimes—no, often—I get stuck. I have plenty of ideas, but I’m not sure what to do right now. Exercise or taking walks can help. Coffee helps. But I spend a lot of time staring at the screen, going from brick to brick, back and forth on things that are only somewhat related to what I really need to do.
When I do find the next step, I feel like I’ve stepped into a phone booth and emerged in a cape. I can fly! I can proceed with absolutely certainty. I’ve become unstoppable. And if you had this power, you would be unstoppable too.
When building a legacy project, or a business, or planning anything, the ability to have complete clarity about the next building block (not necessarily the whole plan, just the next step) would be a true superpower. Alas, like learning to fly or become invisible, this ability is elusive. That’s why you must periodically withdraw and ask yourself, over and over:
What’s the next step?
It doesn’t come naturally to most of us (that’s why it’s a superpower), but if you respect the process, you may find yourself endowed with this ability more often.
Then, fly!
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Image: Dashu
February 10, 2011
Tia
My superpower would be the ability to speak and understand any language I come across. That seems to be of key importance to me at the moment.
February 10, 2011
romina puno
people say that they do not want to know what will happen next because it prevents them from living.
i disagree. i’d like to have that superpower as well. knowing what to do next makes me an efficient person. it would mean helping more than the usual and learning more from others. : )
February 10, 2011
Peter Mis
Chris,
As I mature (sounds better than getting older), I have discovered that there is a process and that sometimes it’s best if I don’t get in it’s way. When I get stuck sometimes I try to force the process, and I usually just end up straining something instead of getting the answer I am seeking. I trust in the flow, even if that means shutting myself down and getting out of the way for a bit.
Thanks again for sharing your gift!
Peter
February 10, 2011
Mark
I want the ability to do whatever I fear the most.
February 10, 2011
Sue
Being able to teleport would save a lot of time–and money, depending on where one wanted to go. How about leaping over or vaporizing walls of writer’s block in a single glance?
Here’s another idea for a superpower. Since most superheroes have some version of kryptonite that knocks them out, how about the ability to detect and neutralize the kryptonite before it neutralizes the superhero?
February 10, 2011
Maya
1. reading others’ mind. (I always wonder what Bush was thinking when he heard the 9/11 news)
2. I don’t usually meditate. I don’t know how to. Few months ago I did a little OM and after a while I heard a cry from the animals, the mountains. There were no space left for the animals. We eat them, we use their skin, we claim world as ours. superpower for the animals
3. I like JED’s long term-short term goal contrast. I wish all my short-term goals matched my long-term life goals. I’m a mother of 2 and most of my tims is consumed for cleaning, cooking etc.
4. ability to read faster. I read at turtle’s pace. I wish I could change that
5. I like Matt’s healing power of psychology and body.
6. Denny Henderson’s “clear picture of where you want to be”. I don’t want to be in my current situation. But I can’t visualize where I want to be.
7. Flying would definitely cut the crap of all the oil wars and the hassle of paying gas companies for natural resources.
8. time-travel
February 10, 2011
Aaron G Myers
Leo Tolstoy’s short story “Three Questions” speaks to the desire to always know what to do.
My superpower of choice: The ability to run super fast.
February 10, 2011
Diane
I have always wanted to soar like the birds, swallows come to mind right now. I’d also like to be able to get more time, not necessarily go back in time, just make more, or stretch the time I have.
What’s the next step is THE question for me, too. I agree with so many who say knowing where I want to go can help define that next step, and I will break them down into baby-steps. But first! Where do I want to be? Yup, that’s the one question.
February 10, 2011
GutsyWriter
As I mentioned in my ReTweet, knowing what to do next is a great superpower, but not knowing is what expands our mind.
February 10, 2011
Julie Daley
to be completely present and receptive to every situation that life presents, with an open heart and a genuine appreciation for the mystery at the center of everything.
February 10, 2011
Vincent
It seems like they’re wrong. Speed reading doesn’t mean that we can’t retain information longer. In fact, it can help us to retain information longer while taking it in faster.
Cheers,
Vincent
February 10, 2011
Wyman
This is why a goal with no written plan (step-by-step) is only a wish. I didn’t have time to read all the comments first so I hope I didn’t copy someone elses thought.
February 10, 2011
NomadicJansen
I would like to be able to understand, speak and write any language. Combined with my travel hacking skills this should be pretty useful. I know that language is a natural skill that could be acquired over time, but it would be SUPER if it is happened while I’m busy dominating the rest of my life.
February 11, 2011
Alex Blackwell
Knowledge, clarity and a clear sense of purpose are indeed superpowers. Buffett as known for many years “what to do next,” probably because he has used his experience to provide the answer.
I think we can do the same.
Alex
February 11, 2011
Spooky
This is a good one, Chris. I never really stopped to think before how satisfying it is just to have a plan and know what to do next.
Regis, I really like your take on this. It puts everything in a broader perspective.
February 11, 2011
Akshay Kapur
Haha, this is wonderful! What a power to have.
I like your explanation of what you go through WITHOUT having that power though. You keep working and working to figure it out, but when you feel just comfortable enough that you know the direction you want to go, you go at it full-fledged, unburdened and with confidence.
It’s that transition from uncertainty to certainty that so many of us struggle with and the ability to “just do it” is a superpower in and of itself.
February 11, 2011
Ilina S
Ha! I always had the same desire – to know what’s the best thing to do next. I think that would depend on being clear about: 1) all you currently want in life, 2) the order of priority, and 3) what will take you there.
That’s why I started building a web application that could help me do just that. It would help me design my ideal life by setting priorities, specifying my vision for each life area… then creating an action plan to take me from here to there, and finally, an ability to actually commit my action plan to my schedule.
I felt that being able to see all my life put on one page, in order of priority, can help me feel less overwhelmed and more sure about what the best next step would be. What do you think?
If you want me to let you know when it launches, drop me a note!
February 11, 2011
David
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head, Chris — especially for those of us who are not only self-employed, but building a platform from the ground up. How many times have I wished for a small group of like-minded persons in the same situation to walk this path with. In the meantime, we keep the vision always before us!
February 11, 2011
Karen
I’d want the ability to stop the over breeding of unwanted animals…..so we can end the millions of euthanizations and killing of millions of animals around the world! And then I want to teleport
.
February 11, 2011
Matthew Thomas
Ever since I was a child, my superpower of choice was perfect retention and recall. In other words, I would be able to remember everything I have had as an input (having read it, heard it, seen it, etc. once) and be able to find it in my memory instantly.
Then I would be king! Mwahahahahahahah! Um, I mean, that would be nice.
February 11, 2011
CountryDreaming
“The ability to always know exactly what to do next.”
Wise choice.
Prayer is what helps me with this.
“(not necessarily the whole plan, just the next step) ”
This. Again wise.
February 12, 2011
Maggie Dodson
Now if I were headmistress of the world………………!
My superpower would enable me to remove all despots, dictators and desperadoes from power immediately. Off to another planet for retraining!!!
Let the people choose.
February 12, 2011
Hans
Nice post!
I’d go for the same thing as you, Chris, in a broader way though : I’d go for always knowing where I want to go in life. Once I knew that, I’d could bother with the ‘next steps’
February 12, 2011
Dannielle
That would be the one super power I would have.
It is what trips me up, not knowing what to do next.
February 12, 2011
Anthony
Sometimes you need to take a step back and look at it from another perspective and then you can think about your options more clearly. Exercise does it for me. all I need to do is go for a run and I can think clearly about my future steps.
February 12, 2011
A. O. Moss
Definitely flying for number one. The ability to control time second–stop time, move back and forth. Then to control exactly how much people notice me. I could make myself practically invisible, or turn every head, or somewhere in between.
February 12, 2011
Jeremy
Teleportation.
February 13, 2011
Brent Sears
Well said! There are so many distractions and options in life that it is hard to narrow it down to what is important – staying focused on what to do next. It is a superpower to stay focused!
February 13, 2011
Gene
“…I’d like to have this superpower:The ability to always know exactly what to do next.”
I believe the super power to which you refer is known as wisdom. King Solomon had a mega-dose and is considered (by many) the golden standard against which this power is measured.
As I see it, wisdom is a knowledge multiplier. Apply wisdom against even a little bit of knowledge and the result will be more gain than could possibly be gotten compared to even volumes of knowledge without wisdom. The one who posses this super power will gain knowledge and understanding.
I too crave this super power, ever since realizing my utter lacking. It is a daily quest. Like a treasure hunter, I know it’s out there, I can smell it, it’s near.
February 13, 2011
Melissa McDaniel
I agree with Wilson – you do have a way of posting the right posts at the right time. Just yesterday I was feeling like I’d lost direction because there were so many things I wanted to work on at the same time and I couldn’t make a decision over which one was the right one for my business at this time. Making the decision about which way to go can seem monumental – one way may lead to advancement and the other may be a step in the wrong direction. Indecision over it is crippling though, so I’ve learned to make decisions faster, no matter how painful the process is.
As for superpowers…I’ve always envied Aquaman and Marine Boy. Scuba diving is as close as I will ever come.
February 14, 2011
j
I think it’s funny that when I read this, I thought, “Okay. If Chris Gillebeau sometimes feels uncertain (for hours!) about the next step, maybe it’s okay that I feel like that so much of the time.”
Right or wrong, thank you for that bit of reassurance.
February 17, 2011
tak
Once again Chris, you are very insightful and wise, i agree with everything you said. Everyone has great ideas but whats the use, if you dont act on their first step…….
February 18, 2011
Jim Greenwood
I would like to be able to heal the sick.
February 19, 2011
Jeff Martinez
I wouldn’t want to know what happens next…it sounds like a good idea but I think that makes life good is the not knowing.
February 21, 2011
Michael A. Robson
Reading faster, eh? Hehe… Cool.
Don’t forget, Buffett has a jet. He CAN fly.
October 20, 2011
Gunhild
I would just love to have the superpower of giving inspiration to people (including myself). Inspiration to see the fun in the things you and I do and experience in every day life, inspiration for subjects to write about and how to write it, inspiration for how to help people in need around the world or how to build a business that provides something valuable for other people (and a fun income for me). I guess this superpower includes being able see the goal of an action more clearly.
January 19, 2012
Kevin Miller
Love you Chris.
My cape’s been in the closet for a few days. This is brilliant.
January 19, 2012
beth
I don’t know what super power I’d pick but I think this is up there in the top 10 of the most comforting things I have read ever.
It is so easy to believe that all the people that you follow, admire, and try to learn from have it all down pat. That they know exactly what they want, what they are going to do in the long run, and exactly what they are going to do next to get it.
It helps to be reminded that they are all muddling through too. It makes it easier to keep on muddling yourself.
I guess my superpower would be to never forget that we are all making it up as we go along and to help everyone else to know that too. And to find courage in that knowledge.
Via the Jan 19th, 2012 post “An Academic Confession”.
January 21, 2012
Maria Thompson
Reading your blog is like reading my thoughts… I have always admired people who knew exactly what they wanted, and knew exactly what to do step by step in order to get it.. They are not influenced by anything around them, and just focus on their goals.
I wish i could do that more easily! I have many dreams and goals but often don’t know where to start from and how to make the necessary steps to achieve them.