POWER

" There isn't a person anywhere who isn't capable of doing more than he thinks he can." 

- Henry Ford

Power means demonstrating your ability to manifest reality. Within each of us lies a power center, and we learn to call upon this power as we set out to design our lives according to our will. Power is a natural state of being - it is a force to which we are all entitled and to which we all have unlimited access.

It is not necessary to search for your inner power, since it is already within you. It is something you were given the moment you were born, as essential to your survival as the ability to breathe. Your power is what propels you forward day after day, what sustains you in dark moments, what gives you the ability to do whatever you feel driven to do. It glows within you like a light, beamed outward into the world as needed.

In 1983, I started a nonprofit business that trained young adults aged eighteen to twenty-five to manage households overseas. I was extremely passionate about this program and dedicated to making it succeed. Our lawyer at the time was a gruff, distinguished older man named Marcus who, at 6'4", towered over me and was very intimidating. He insisted that we would never get the visas we needed to authorize foreigners to live in the United States for one year and learn in a domestic setting. Even as we stood in the hallway waiting to go in for our interview with the Immigration and Naturalizastion Service (INS), Marcus dismissed my passion and told me that I was wasting my time even applying for the visas. 

In that moment, I knew I needed to call on my own inner strength in order to succeed on my mission. I took a deep breath, reminded myself that I could succeed at anything I set my mind to, and stood up to this imposing lawyer. I told Marcus that I had every confidence that we would get the visas and that I expected his full support. He and I then went before the INS, and much to my satisfaction and his shock, I stood my ground and answered all their questions flawlessly. I think even Marcus was secretly delighted when the INS approved my application.

There may be times, however, when you have difficulty seeing that light within you. You may experience "power leaks" that rob you of your ability to manifest reality. In those times,you will need to identify what is robbing you of your power and patch the leaks. 

Power leaks come in many forms: intimidation, discouragement and disappointment, setbacks, rejection, or loss, just to name a few. A leak is sprung whenever your inner resiliency is damaged or your feelings of self-worth are diminished. The best way to patch these leaks is to look back at your earlier successes as a way to remind yourself of what you are capable of. Do things that let you experience your power - even little things like hanging a picture or programming your VCR - to gradually seal the leaks and rebuild your confidence.

You may need to patch leaks in your power many times through out your life, but once you groove an easy path back to the power source within you and live from within it, you will never again question the idea that what you make of your life is entirely up to you.