Supplemental Education

Today’s Topics

• The Superhero in All of Us 🦸‍♂️

• After Hours 🛋️

  5 Mins Read Time

The Superhero in All of Us 🦸‍♂️
By Jo

If you could be a superhero, who would you be—and more importantly, why?

Most people think about appearance first: the costume, the style, the look that makes them recognizable. But if you really stop and think, superheroes are defined by their abilities and their actions—not by what they wear. Appearance may catch attention, but action determines how the world remembers you.

Here’s the truth: ability always outweighs appearance. Why? Because actions create results, and results shape perception. There are countless people in this world labeled “sexy” or “powerful” who don’t fit the conventional mold. They’re seen that way because of how they carry themselves, how they move, and the results they produce. Confidence, action, and consistency transform perception—sometimes more than looks ever could.

This realization alone is a form of education. You don’t need a classroom to figure it out. Life itself will teach you through trial and error, or through research if you’re curious enough to dig. It’s about supplemental education—feeding yourself knowledge in ways that fit your lifestyle.

Personally, I use YouTube Premium to mix in educational content alongside entertainment. It’s a smooth, subtle way to keep learning without feeling like I’m studying 24/7. Over time, you build up a roadmap—whether it’s towards a certification, a new skill, or simply better self-awareness. That’s the real superhero move: turning small actions into powerful results.

So ask yourself again: are you chasing the look, or are you building the ability?

The Golden Rule: At the end of the day, actions—not appearances—are what write your story.

After Hours 🛋️

By Marcus

Most of the transformative work we do in life, in my opinion, happens when no one is watching.

The personal development, health, professional skills, interpersonal growth — most of it is built behind closed doors. Alone. Or with just a few people who really know us.

Think about that hall-of-fame athlete you’ve heard stories about. The “legendary off-season training” no one sees. We witness the results — the highlight reels — but not the late nights, early mornings, or sacrifice that made it possible.

Recognition usually comes at the end. Rarely during.

So why do we overlook the importance of the training and development that happens after hours?

Early Overtime

Growing up, I had a bad stuttering issue. And if you know anything about kids — you know they have no filter. I got teased routinely.

To avoid it, I just stopped talking much in school. I communicated as little as possible.

By third grade, I’d been flagged after an assessment for struggling to pronounce words correctly. It got to the point where, for several months, I was pulled out of class weekly to work with a specialist.

At the time, I didn’t get it. I thought I was doing fine in school. But of course, an eight-year-old doesn’t know much about the bigger picture.

Not long after, someone at school recommended my dad buy a program called Hooked on Phonics. So there I was, many nights and weekends — reluctantly — working with my dad and older brother to practice. Eventually, I “graduated” out of those extra support sessions and was back in class full-time.

Problem Not Solved

That early intervention helped, but it didn’t fix my speech impediment. I still have it.

Over the years, I’ve just developed strategies to manage it.

In college, I actually failed a class freshman year because I was too afraid to present in front of 300 people. That failure almost cost me my scholarship.

Later, after graduation, I was offered a management promotion. During the interview, two stakeholders told me in very direct terms:

“We want to give you the job — but you’re going to need to talk more.”

I don’t immediately accept the position for this very reason.

I accept the role the next day. That very evening, I made commitment to myself to never allow my speech issues to hold me back again. This was just another detour on path.

As I learned back as an 8-year-old, overcoming these types of issues is possible with the right tools, resources and effort. In this case it was more mindset than anything.

So, I add few more tricks to my public speaking “bag” and the rest is history.

Accept It

What’s funny now is people who know me well will sometimes say, “You don’t even have a speech issue.”

I with 100% certainty know they’re wrong. What they’re seeing is a few decades of hard work managing it.

That’s the point. Some challenges stick with you for life. I call them “historical challenges.” For me, it’s a speech impediment. For you, it might be something else — family issues, health, finances, self-esteem, environment.

These challenges only define you if you want them to.

It’s going to take more work. Not everyone will understand.

What’s easy and automatic for others may not be easy or automatic for you. And some people will minimize your struggles because they’ll never fully get it.

Focus on what you need to do to move forward. Be willing to put in the extra, unseen effort. The work you do behind the scenes will eventually come into the light.

You may be delayed but that doesn’t have to stop you from reaching your destination.

Summer.…. Summer.… Summer… Time…