"Authentic Power"
Today I was forunate to catch Oprah in the afternoon. She had an author and a person who considered somewhat of a guru. At one point in the interview Oprah had someone in the audience share that she was affected negatively by the energy at her workplace to which the author responded with something like: If your in your authentic self you would not be moved or affected by other's actions. I almost fell to the floor when he said this in a tone that was so void of excitement I almost wanted to go take a nap. I was truly not in agreement with him or at the very least not in full agreement with him. I would have asked more questions in order to fiqure out what was best for her in her honest opinion and based on what she is experiencing. There was also a part of me that did not find her believable in that it was as though she was blaming others for her own lack of positive energy. It felt a little like she was sitting in judgement of others, hence I would of asked more of her before I would have responded. In many scenarios there is an underlying agenda and I could almost sense it intuitively, almost a smug attitude that was judging of others.
I would have asked these questions:
1. What part do you play in this negative energy you are speaking of?
2. Do you feel your work environment is toxic and unhealthy for you to continue to be in?
3. What are you referring to specifically?
4. What do you think you can do to improve the quality of your work life?
5. What do you feel you have the power to do in this situation you find yourself in?
But I again digress. The author was talking about authentic versus External power, referring to external power is attached to status and the material things you have in life. I would even throw in education because I do feel as though we use this to validate ourselves rather than to get degrees in things that are attuned with their calling in life or what they truly resonate with. Rather than focus on external power I would like to talk about authentic empowerment. Please note that I did not say "authentic power". I don't feel like we have much power if anything over very much of anything. There I said it!
Authentic Empowerment for me means that I have the tools and the sense to get the things I need in life by being honest with myself about whether something is in my power to do or not. Authentic means I acquire my empowerment not from someone or something else like money or a husband who is a doctor or by impressing others by owning a Mercedes. It means that I am empowered by sources that are authentic and based in the premise of love and of serving. For me that is real power and I prefer to refer to it as empowerment, because we are mostly powerless over others and situations that may come along. Being empowered is not the same as having power and what I sense in my own life is that having power is not what I want for myself nor do I feel I need to have power. Lastly, the power is not in me, it is from a source that I get it from. Some non-believers would not understand this concept of a power greater than themselves and that is fine but I prefer to see power as a false sense of something and that I am not the one who is powerful but rather that I am empowered. I have the will to do what is best for me, therefor I am empowered. With that clarified I want to talk about authentic empowerment.
Authentic empowerment comes from a knowing place. Knowing what is best for us and doing that which is in your highest good. I say that people who are looking to be powerful are many times people who have a false sense of self and who manipulate others into doing what they want and getting what they need or think they need from others. That my friends is not empowerment, that is your ego falsely confusing your mind into believing that having power over others is a wonderful thing. In reality having power over others is cruel and many times we misuse that power like a parent does over his or her kids. That is power and I say I want none of that and want instead to be empowered. But how do we become empowered authentically? (to be continued)
I would have asked these questions:
1. What part do you play in this negative energy you are speaking of?
2. Do you feel your work environment is toxic and unhealthy for you to continue to be in?
3. What are you referring to specifically?
4. What do you think you can do to improve the quality of your work life?
5. What do you feel you have the power to do in this situation you find yourself in?
But I again digress. The author was talking about authentic versus External power, referring to external power is attached to status and the material things you have in life. I would even throw in education because I do feel as though we use this to validate ourselves rather than to get degrees in things that are attuned with their calling in life or what they truly resonate with. Rather than focus on external power I would like to talk about authentic empowerment. Please note that I did not say "authentic power". I don't feel like we have much power if anything over very much of anything. There I said it!
Authentic Empowerment for me means that I have the tools and the sense to get the things I need in life by being honest with myself about whether something is in my power to do or not. Authentic means I acquire my empowerment not from someone or something else like money or a husband who is a doctor or by impressing others by owning a Mercedes. It means that I am empowered by sources that are authentic and based in the premise of love and of serving. For me that is real power and I prefer to refer to it as empowerment, because we are mostly powerless over others and situations that may come along. Being empowered is not the same as having power and what I sense in my own life is that having power is not what I want for myself nor do I feel I need to have power. Lastly, the power is not in me, it is from a source that I get it from. Some non-believers would not understand this concept of a power greater than themselves and that is fine but I prefer to see power as a false sense of something and that I am not the one who is powerful but rather that I am empowered. I have the will to do what is best for me, therefor I am empowered. With that clarified I want to talk about authentic empowerment.
Authentic empowerment comes from a knowing place. Knowing what is best for us and doing that which is in your highest good. I say that people who are looking to be powerful are many times people who have a false sense of self and who manipulate others into doing what they want and getting what they need or think they need from others. That my friends is not empowerment, that is your ego falsely confusing your mind into believing that having power over others is a wonderful thing. In reality having power over others is cruel and many times we misuse that power like a parent does over his or her kids. That is power and I say I want none of that and want instead to be empowered. But how do we become empowered authentically? (to be continued)
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