“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
What does being PowerFULL really mean?
The meaning of power is very broad and can mean a lot of different things to different people at different times. It’s a term often used in the corporate world. It can also refer to the electricity that fuels our homes or the mechanical energy in a vehicle. But when it comes to people, being power-full is an entirely different concept.
Power and Control
Being human and humane, you do have the power to control your life but chances are you aren’t comfortable with using it. You may have always associated the terms “power” and “control” as negative. This may be because your own life experience with someone who was labeled as powerful or controlling was a negative one. Most of us have been at a job where one of our coworkers was promoted and turned from nice to not so nice, when they were given power over others in the organization. Or friends who have become suddenly haughty because they have suddenly come into to some money. That’s not the right way to use your power.
Be Power-Full and Empowered
By being powerful and taking control you don’t need to be so harmful to yourself and others. In fact, using your personal power for positive change is a very liberating and healthy thing. It empowers you, allowing you to take control of your life, to honor your Self and experience what it’s like to be power-full in a way that is good for you and all those around you.
Here are some ways that help you understand your power and how to aim its focus for positive change in your life:
How to Be Positively PowerFULL
1. Identify your core values: Know yourself better so that you are clear about your core values and ethics. When you use your power to make a change because it upholds your core values, it’s the right thing to do. Changing only because someone else expects it is not a good use of your power.
2. Value yourself: You are valuable! Understand this and know that your are worthy. Each and every one of us has value and worth. We each matter. Your core values are just as important as someone else’s. Don’t undervalue your Self.
3. Communicate Effectively: When your communication is effective, it is a means to power. You might call it the art of negotiation but the ability to communicate effectively allows you to get what you need and want without compromising on your core values and ethics. This could be the definition of power in and of itself.
4. Honor others power: Lets not forget that others have power too. You’re not the only one who is seeking positive change and honoring your own self-worth. Other people in your life are seeking the same things; allow them to use their power in a positive manner just as you use yours so that everyone benefits.
5. Listen to yourSelf: Pay attention to what your Self is communicating. Harnessing your power comes from more than just interacting with other people; you must learn to listen to what your Self is telling you it needs. Pay attention and honor those requests.
6. Power is joyful too: Find joy in being power-full. Positive power should bring joy – the joy to do as you wish, to have what you need, and be energized to perform at your optimum.
Identifying your core values doesn’t come in an instant. It takes time to identify our core values and use them as a way to become power-full but it’s time well spent. As you get more in touch with your true Self, you’ll find that acting in a power-full way comes easily and naturally.
As long as you honor your Self and your core values, being power-full is a very positive position to take. And as long as you follow the golden rule by treating others as you would like to be treated, control is not only acceptable, but a trait to be admired.
So go for it!
Become positively power-full and take control of your life!
What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you feel Power is just a negative trait? Have you used or experienced positive power first hand? Share your thoughts in the comment below. I’d love to learn from you!
With Immense Love & Gratitude,
~Zeenat~
Counseling Psychologist/ Spiritual Counselor
Motivational Speaker/Naturopath
Holistic Healer/Writer
GET YOUR ‘HAPPINESS GOODIES’!!!
Get the latest articles(FREE) as soon as they are published, by Email OR RSS.PLUS if you are an Email Subscriber, You get the Positive Living Handbook(new 2012 release!)+My Ebook “The Best of Positive Provocations”+ “Your Self Healing Starter Kit”+a free Positive Newsletter every month with the months highlights+Positive Living Affirmations +New Tips and articles which are Exclusively for Email Subscribers and not published anywhere else. Come Join the facebook community & follow me on Twitter and Google+ for Positive Provocations Everyday!
Related articles
♥♥”Please Share this article on your favorite social networks. Every share, like or tweet makes me reach more people who need a positive healing nudge in their lives. Thank you!”♥♥
*Positive Provocations* 
Hi Zeenat,
Great post with a new twist on power. Because it is so often mis-used in our culture of power over others. If we each stand in our true power/ spiritual self as you so beautifully gave the road map for, then we treat others as precious equals to co-create rather than dominate, all would be wonderful in the land of OZ, aka Earth! 🙂
Dear Zeenat,
,
I like your take on personal power for the same reason writingtofreedom stated. As a child I heard more “you can’t” messages than “I can” messages. Those messages from parents and other authority figures told me my thoughts, dreams and actions didn’t count. They were fettered to the belief that their destiny and mine were pre-written by an all powerful deity and could not be altered. As I was what is referred to as being “raised in the only true faitrh” ie. brainwashed and indoctrinated, I developed sub-conscious beliefs that mirrored theirs and became a depressed, self sabotaging and negatively focused adolescent, bereft of hope.
In college I began to explore other religions. I rejected the belief system I had been raised under and developed faith instead.
When I examined my core values and shed myself of those that had been imposed but not embraced I finally recognized belief is the insistence that the truth is what one would ‘lief’ or (will or) wish to be. Belief is fervent hope, a cover-up for doubt and uncertainty. In contrast to belief, faith has no preconceptions; it is a plunge into the unknown. Faith is an unreserved opening of the mind and the heart to the truth, whatever it may turn out to be.
I found my truth. Our lives are not pre-programmed; they are not in the hands of a deity. There are no preset rules of action that determines the course of your life or mine. Depending on intent and circumstances, all thoughts and actions can be skillful or not.
I learned how to meditate. Once I freed my mind from grasping and following every transient thought in meditation I awakened and I found my path.
I became capable of self-forgiveness and self-love. It may take me a lifetime to set myself free of the invisible strings that bind. But minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day I am overcoming deep insecurities about my ability to positively affect the course of my life and become the change I want to see. And, I salute you because what you share in this blog is helping me become the best me I can be.
P.S. I am struggling with my vision. I cannot see errors until I click submit, get up and stand 2 feet behind my chair. Will you please correct my typos above in my first comment and delete this one?
I AM A CHRISTIAN AND TRY TO STAY POSITIVE 24/7 AND YOUR BLOG POSTS ARE ONES I READY DAILY.
Interesting, I realize that I don’t have those negative meanings around power anymore because I see it in a different way. And agree that real power isn’t about hurting or tearing others down to get it.
I have seen people who get in power and abuse it, which is unfortunate. The kind of power i’m looking for is internal power, to keep going towards the things I want to achieve!
-Ben