You’re So Much More Powerful than You Think
Who do you consider as powerful? Who in your society would you say has power? If there was an opportunity for every reader to respond, the answers would surprise you. Most likely, no one will mention themselves. All the attention goes to that famous politician or the richest people you know.
In his theory of power, Aristotle defines power as an origin of change and rest. He argues that the world is full of changing things, and power instigates this change. Based on this theory, anyone that possesses power is capable of bringing about change in the world.
On the other hand, his theory also opens up the possibility that every human being possesses power in their own capacity. The fact that you are alive means that you have some power in you. The other forms of power we think people possess are either acquired or given. Let’s start off with the part where you start believing in the power you possess.
The Power of Positive Thinking
Are you a fan of thrilling motivational stories? Here is one for you:
By the age of 17, Colonel Harland Sanders had already been fired from four jobs. At the age of 65 years he was retiring poor and already contemplating suicide. However, by the time he was dying at the age of 90 years, Colonel Sanders was already a billionaire and the founder of a world renowned brand, KFC.
A story is told of a boy whose father died when he was six and he was forced to step up and take care of his siblings. Broke and with only a few options, he faked his real age to be enlisted in the army. However, he was caught a year later and discharged. He later found a job as a railway laborer but was fired for fighting with another worker. After that, he studied law but also ruined that career because of fighting. Later, he started selling insurance but was again fired for insubordination.
You would think this guy would call it quits. However, Colonel Sanders was not that kind of a man. He was still positive that his life would take a right turn, which is why in 1920 he began a ferry company. At the age of 40 years, he began selling dishes from chicken recipes. However, an argument with his competitor led to a bad shootout and the restaurant was burnt down. Instead of quitting, he started rebuilding the restaurant from the ground. However, as the business was beginning to pick back up, World War II happened and he had to close down.
Determined as he was, Sanders tried to make the best out of the closing restaurant. He tried to franchise the “secret recipe” he was using to make the delicious chicken dishes. However, his recipe was rejected far more times than he could count.
In the end, he was able to successfully sell his recipe, and to even franchise his brand internationally. To date, KFC is one of the largest brands in the world.
That was just a summary of the thrilling adventure of Colonel Sanders. However, his life story is full of inspiration. Look at it from the perspective of positive thinking. It is the story of a guy who motivated himself to make something good out of his life. Instead of letting his many failures define him, he chose to remain optimistic that he would make something great of himself. Eventually, he did it even if it was at an older age.
That is what positive thinking can do to you. It enables you to see the positives in every situation. Positive thinking inspires you to feel powerful in picking up the pieces and moving on to the next adventure. Even after his chicken recipe was rejected over a thousand times, Sanders felt he had the power to transform his life using that same recipe.
You can adopt behaviors that bring in positive thought, you should try some if you want to enjoy the power of positive thinking.
How to Explore Your Inner Power
In this section, we will examine how you can use your inner power to transform your life. How do you harness your inner power?
Change Your Mindset
You can never be powerful or impose change unless you start believing in yourself. We live in a world that is full of impatient people. Rarely will you find people giving you a second chance or even the chance to prove your worth. Therefore, you have to use your inner power to prove your worth to people.
Winston Churchill said the pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity while the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Positive thinkers are always optimistic about the situations they face. Such an attitude enables them to keep their mind focused on what they want to achieve. They are always using their inner power to find innovative ways of accomplishing those goals. When you see the good in life, you will find the power to deal with the stickiest of situations.
Embrace the Hero’s Way of Life
If you dig around in history, there are so many stories of great human beings who overcame unimaginable obstacles in life. We just discussed one in Colonel Sanders. Those people did not set out to live their life as a movie. It is just that they did extraordinary things to make it in life and ended up being heroes.
From their inspiring stories, there are a few important traits that define their heroic lives:
· The amazing inner power of persistence
· Courage to face the hurdles that life brought their way
· The bravery to never quit and take the easy road
· The belief in justice and respect for morals upheld by a given society
Which of these attributes do you think is missing in your journey to becoming a hero in your story? Whether it is one or more, it would help if you stop giving excuses. Focus on getting some perspective in your life. When you cultivate perspective it will be easier to harness your power and start taking charge of your responsibilities.
Begin to Assume Control of Your Life
You cannot be a source of positive change if you do not appreciate the power in you. You are only as powerful as you convince your mind, body and soul to be. Have you ever noticed that when you develop hate for certain foods, your body will develop some sort of natural resistance to them? That is how strong your willpower is.
Therefore, every time you let people or the environment control you, your willpower weakens. When you start developing a sense of pride in yourself, the environment around you responds to that stimulus. First, train your mind to know that you are powerful, and it will make you feel as powerful. Once your body responds, it will start sending the positive vibes to those around you and they will notice this new sense of confidence. Your posture and other non-verbal cues will present you as powerful and the world will pick up the positive signals you are sending out.
Parting Shot
Power can be acquired or given but the beauty of it is that everyone is powerful in their own way. The problem is that many people in the world do not recognize the inner power in them. If you ever doubted your power, now is the time to bury those negative thoughts and start changing your attitude. Power to the positive thought.