The Journey That Made Me
Superheroes don’t start out super. They start out as kids in cities and small towns, in complicated families or overlooked corners of the world. They go through something—some moment of impact, loss, or realization that changes their direction forever.
My own story isn’t written in capes or cosmic rays, but in classrooms where I couldn’t concentrate, in small towns where I struggled to belong, and in the deep quiet of being misunderstood. I used to want to erase parts of that history. Now? I’m learning to claim it. Because owning my origin story means taking back the power in how I view my past.
I didn’t fall behind in school because I was lazy. I had undiagnosed ADHD. I wasn’t weird—I was imaginative. And I wasn’t broken—I was just learning how to function in a world that didn’t come with instructions for someone like me.
When a Hero Origin Isn’t Glamorous
Many origin stories aren’t shiny. Mine includes failing Grade 4, being bullied for my appearance, and internalizing shame about things I didn’t yet understand. It includes masking, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and believing I had to earn my worth by working harder than everyone else just to be “enough.”
But every one of those struggles was a chapter that taught me resilience, compassion, and creative problem-solving. Those things didn’t show up on report cards, but they’re the core of who I’ve become.
And here’s what I’ve realized: hiding my origin story doesn’t protect me—it just keeps me small. But when I own it? When I write and speak it? That’s when I take my power back.
Diana’s Perspective
Diana doesn’t have an origin story in the way I do. She was a rescue cat. She doesn’t carry shame about her past. She doesn’t worry about being “too much” or “not enough.” She just is.
Watching her move through life, so unapologetically herself, reminds me that I can rewrite the story I’ve told myself. That I can be gentle with the younger version of me who felt so out of place. That I can honour every step that brought me here.
And every time she curls up next to me while I write? That’s a reminder: I’m safe now. I’ve got this.
Final Thought
We don’t get to choose the circumstances of our origin stories—but we do get to choose how we carry them forward. When I own my story, I no longer feel like I have to hide it. I feel free to grow from it.
What part of your story are you learning to reclaim? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
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