| Personal Power, of course, is based on YOU – your vision, your strengths, confidence, and competencies developed over the course of your life. The primary aim of Personal Power is self-mastery – we’ve talked a little bit about that in recent weeks. Personal Power is a recognition of the human spirit – of your human spirit. It is also personal influence – you can influence yourself to change your mind on something, for example. Think about power (electricity) – you can turn it on or off with the flick of a switch. It’s always there, but we don’t always notice it unless it’s NOT there. Personal Power is the biggest influencer in your life – it creates the necessary path to the life you’ve decided you want. Developing Personal Power is imperative (in my opinion) for the daily, consistent act of doing and thinking that brings us to the vibrant vision we have for ourselves. It’s plugging in, turning on, and being present. Here are some hints of what Personal Power may look like and how it can turn on your life: 1. Happily helping others, with your boundaries intact. 2. Always learning, making mistakes, and taking responsibility for your actions. 3. Failing and assessing what’s next. 4. Being open to hearing about “another way.” 5. Being a good communicator without being forceful or harsh. 6. Being a good listener – people feel “heard” by you. 7. Working on your goals. 8. Not quitting on yourself. 9. Keeping your promises. 10. Showing up. Motivation is fleeting and fickle, but we are all motivated by something. Brendon Burchard said in the opening sentence of The Motivation Manifesto, “Why, having been endowed with the courageous heart of a lion, do we live as mice?” That’s our task for this week – finding and recognizing our own Personal Power and BECOMING the woman (LIONESS!) we’ve been called to become. First, let’s start with the ever-elusive motivation – Burchard says, “A hallmark of those who achieve greatness is the discovery that they can control the level of motivation they feel by better directing their own minds.” *Please note there are cases of clinical depression, and professional help, counseling, and/or medication should be considered if you’re stuck on a regular basis and unable to move forward. For the rest of us, discovering our Personal Power becomes an emotional breakthrough BECAUSE we see our lives through a new lens – WE. CAN. CHOOSE! One of the most powerful and life-changing thoughts for me personally was when I understood that choices are actually DECISIONS. • If we choose a cynical and negative point of view (on anything), the outcome is going to be exactly that. • If we decide it’s too hard, overwhelming, or unmanageable, then it is. Notice how interchangeable CHOICE and DECISION are! The difference is that CHOICE connects to desire, and DECISION connects to behavior. But if you recognize that your choices ultimately lead to a behavior, you begin to understand how they are tightly linked together. Seize the truth: as you think, you do. Motivation isn’t a feeling – it’s an on-purpose, conscious commitment to your motive, which leads to ACTION. We decide to be motivated – there is no waiting. Our Personal Power is sparked by those decisions, and it’s the COMMITMENT to those decisions that creates the path to Personal Power. |
