I was listening to a seminar yesterday about power and it was really quite interesting. Actually, the seminar may have been more about doubt, then power, but these two opposites definitely cross paths. The teacher was explaining all the ways in which doubt holds us back, both personally and professionally, and how power can help us overcome this daily hurdle.

What he said that was so interesting was, he asked us to think about all the times we feel like we don’t have power—which can be a lot. It happens at home, it happens at work, and it happens at Starbucks! Am I right? It’s the little things that we let go, “overlook,” or simple say, “It’s not worth it,” but every time we do that we give away some of our power—and that’s not a good thing.

What the teacher successfully conveyed was: affirming and asserting our own power doesn’t mean we take anyone else’s power away. We aren’t making anyone else feel small, we are simply stating what is right for us. So “No, we don’t want sushi tonight for dinner,” and “No, I can’t organize the birthday party for Bill at work,” and “This cappuccino has almond milk, I ask for oat milk.” POWER—it’s time to own it and use it. Every time we give it away we are telling ourselves, “It’s OK, someone else’s happiness is more important than mine,” yet it’s not.

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth