Let me tell you about a new superpower I’ve discovered this year:

The power of common sense.

Sure, calling common sense a superpower might sound over the top.

But I feel like Spiderman must’ve felt when he realised he could shoot spiderwebs from his wrists. 

Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent most of my life living in my head, analysing everything, second-guessing decisions, overthinking and trying not to make mistakes. So having access to a power which means I can trust myself in the moment without thinking about things at all is quite the turn up for the books.

And I’m excited to see how this one plays out in 2026.

Since I stumbled on the Subtraction Method a few years ago, one inconvenient question has lingered in my way-too-active mind.

That question?

Given I can feel 1,001 different ways about whatever activity I’m up to, how do I navigate my life? 

For 35+ years, I used my feelings to do that. So if something made me feel anxious, worried or scared, I’d avoid it. And if something made me feel safe, comfortable or happy, I’d do it. But once I realised my feelings were just echoing whatever thoughts were passing through my brain, using my feelings as a guide stopped making sense.

The answer I landed on instead was my wanting and my knowing.

i.e. if I wanted to do something or knew to do something, that was my compass.

This answer wasn’t wholly satisfying though.

But when I heard American supercoach Michael Neill talk about wanting, knowing AND common sense as a holy triumvirate during a talk near Piccadilly this summer, it clicked.

I always thought that when Mother Nature was dishing out life skills, I got the short straw when it came to common sense. 

No doubt Lauren will agree with me on that one.

And yet the more I sat with it after that Piccadilly talk, the more I saw that yes, I DO have common sense. 

Sure, it’s a muscle I haven’t been working very often. 

But boy can I feel it now.

For what it’s worth, this is far more life-changing than it might sound at first glance.

Alongside my knowing and wanting, common sense feels like THE ultimate navigation tool.

I mean sure, Spiderman can walk up walls. But I’ll take making quicker decisions without analysing situations to death over wall-walking any day.

And yes okay, Spiderman can hang upside down from a lamppost outside a New York deli. But honestly, give me trusting my gut when something feels off.

And alright fine, Spiderman can somersault off a Skyscraper and land on the pavement with the grace of an Olympic gymnast while rescuing a lost puppy from a supervillain’s evil clutches. But I’ll take showing up and seeing what happens over a triple backflip any day of the week.

Truthfully, once you leave the comic books behind and enter the real world, these are the powers that make all the difference.

So that’s insight #2.

If overthinking, second-guessing or the sense you’re overlooking something simple feels familiar, here’s where to go next:

https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com

To fulfilment,

Tom