The Flow Of Personal Power - What Does It Mean To Be Powerful?

By: Jane Powell - Meditations for Women

Suppose I ask you to picture a powerful person. Close your eyes and think about that for a moment. What kind of person did you picture?

In this day and age, we’ve been learning a lot of lessons about what it means to be powerful. We measure power in bombs dropped, or troop surges. We measure power in money earned or elections won. When we think of powerful people, we think of people who have the resources and the status to control things: large corporations, nations, or big groups of people.

Is that what you pictured? Someone big and strong, or rich and influential, who controls people, places, or possessions?

If so, what you’ve pictured is someone who has power over. This kind of power puts someone in a one-up position, and the objective of this kind of power is control and dominance. It’s the kind of power we talk about the most, the kind that we feel the most frightened of, maybe the most desirous of. But it’s a difficult kind of power to maintain, and, in the long run, not as powerful for most of us as you might think.

It seems that the more we focus on having power, that is, power over someone or something, the more we have to fight, the more we are challenged, and the harder we have to struggle to maintain that power. If we reach a position where we hold that kind of power, we are always in danger of losing it, or of being overpowered by someone bigger and stronger. After all, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

No one who makes it their mission to have power over is safe from challenge, or from losing that power. Dictators get overthrown, corporations go bankrupt, kids gang up on the playground bully. Seeking power over means always having to be vigilant, defensive, and reactive. Seeking power over is the diametric opposite of what leads to happiness, to relationships, to peace.

We have all known couples or families who tried to dominate one another. When people in relationships fall into the trap of trying to control each other, the relationship suffers, and often fails. In the effort to win, to be dominant, we almost always lose. Trying to control and limit the freedom of another person is an almost certain way to lose their love and loyalty.

So how do we feel empowered without overpowering? How do we feel strong, protected, resilient if the act of trying to have power over something or someone is such a trap?

The wonderful news is that authentic power, the kind that brings strength and integrity and courage, doesn’t have anything to do with having power over others. The need to overpower and dominate comes from a dearth of internal security, an absence of trust, and a lack of true personal power.

Personal power speaks and protects, it doesn’t dominate. Personal power loves and respects, and doesn’t coerce. Personal power is not threatened by differences, by disagreement, or by others’ attempts to control. We hold our personal power within, and the potential it gives us remains safe there, until we choose to use it. Personal power gives confidence, a sense of worth and self respect that does not require that we diminish others.

Personal power is a dynamic, moving force. It represents the kind of energy we bring into our lives, our relationships, and our accomplishments. Making the vow not to send your power flowing out over others is really not much of a limit on the range and strength of that power. Imagine you can feel your power moving in other ways: with, alongside, blended, and augmented by the power of others; through, out through your hands, your mouth, your heart in your passions and your voice; of, flowing slowly in an inner spiral, forming and reforming your essential self; and from, up from the earth, down from the heavens, in through your senses and the soles of your feet, into your open and receptive heart.

Power with...is the essential power of connection, of community, of relationship. This is the feeling of power in alliance, of knowing that being there to help others and to protect their interests means that they will also protect yours. It’s the power in numbers, the power of organizations and alliances. It is one of the reasons why we marry, form unions, or partnerships. By opening ourselves to others, by relying on and being a part of a community, we increase our power geometrically.

Power through...is the power that comes from your actions, your passions, your movement through the world. This is creative empowerment, the power to express yourself freely and joyfully in whatever way you wish. Power through is active and moving, and is your way to express yourself to others, and leave footprints wherever you go. It’s the power to make an impact.

Power of...is the power to be, to know yourself and to get strength from who and where you are. This is the power that comes from your core, knowing that you don’t need the approval or agreement of others to know who you are, what you want, and what you stand for. It comes from self care and self respect, and from honoring your feelings, your mind, your body, and your spirit.

Power from...is the energy you receive when you are open, quiet, and observant. This is the power you receive from the universe, from your own personal meditation. It is the quiet power that rises from solitude and self care, that thrives on ritual and awareness, and that brings you in touch with the world’s abundance and riches. It is gratitude.

Isn’t it ironic that the kind of power that we hear the most about, the kind of power that people fight and die for, is the one that is least necessary for life? We all can (or could) survive very well, thank you very much, without trying to dominate or prove our superiority to others. The power we need, the power that brings happiness, peace, creative expression, passion and connection to our lives, is that the power that brings us together, inside and out.

Now when I ask you to picture a powerful person, whom do you see?

Take a moment each day to feel your own personal power. Feel each flow in succession, for each one gives you strength, and each one is essential for life’s journey. As you consider each power flow, ask yourself whether or not you are allowing your power to flow in that way. Ask yourself what more you need to do that day to empower yourself and others, to let your personal power flow more freely. Respect your power, honor it, and use it to your own benefit and the benefit of others. Using power to dominate diminishes everyone, but feeling and expressing personal power creatively and constructively empowers, supports, and protects us all.

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Article Source: http://www.meditationsforwomen.com/articles

Lynn Marlow is a psychologist and life coach who has been working with and trusted by individuals at every stage of life for the past 20 years. Her holistic approach to coaching flows from her deep appreciation for how the emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical interconnect. Lynn believes that peace and happiness come from knowing yourself, feeling and expressing your emotional truth, having meaningful connections to people and activities, and moving through life with honesty, integrity, courage, and a sense of humor. To learn more, or subscribe to her newsletter, visit her website at www.creativityunbound.com

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