What is power?

Is it the possession of material wealth, the ability to manage and lead others or does it come from another source? Most of us falsely believe that we attain power through our jobs, our titles and our achievements. We believe that by climbing up the business ladder to higher positions or achieving greater success in a given field, that we become and feel more powerful and elite.

In fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Power can’t be received; we are already powerful, beyond our imagination. Power comes from within and therefore cannot be attained through some external source.

When we seek power from outside ourselves we are in fact reducing our connection to our own inner source of power. Looking for something outside of ourselves indicates that we are lacking in this area and need other people or situations to provide us with what we want.

When we believe that we can only attain power externally we immediately crave it and seek it out, believing that there is a limited supply. If we stop and realize that all power already exists within us and comes from an unlimited source, we can begin to relax and stop searching for it.

We can start to tap into and use our power for our own benefit, but also and more importantly, for the good of others too. If each of us realized that such power existed within us, we would stop competing with others for things that we don’t in fact need, such as, titles, promotions, trophies and material desires.

We would realize that ultimately these things don’t serve us and quite often only bring more work and suffering our way. It is known that Olympic athletes that receive gold medals often experience a stint of depression after the games, realising that there is nothing more for them to achieve.

Similarly, business people that seek leading roles often make it to the “top” only to realize that they are still not fulfilled, and although they enjoy the “power” the role brings, ultimately their lives are unfulfilling and empty. They work long hours to fill a void, immersing themselves in the role or title that they have created for themselves believing that this is who they are (completely forgetting their spiritual nature).

Of course there are some notable exceptions to this, where business people are using their positions for the greater good, leveraging their inner power through their role and helping a great many others through their work.

It is easy however to fall into a trap as society promotes competition, identification with our jobs and respect for certain careers or achievements. We pit ourselves against each other, constantly comparing our worth by looking at those around us. We ask ourselves, even if only subconsciously, if we are as good as our neighbour. We compare material worth, achievements, titles, looks and much more in a bid to determine who has the greater power and deserves the most respect.

How have we gone so wrong?

If we only realized that we are all equal. Our material accumulations, whilst they can be of use and help us to lead our lives, confer no power on us. Our jobs have no reflection on our worth and our achievements while often noble and worthwhile do not lead us to greater power or value. Any power that is thought to be attained through these channels is false and can be taken away at any moment.

Many of us shy away from our inner power because in a sense we realize how powerful we actually are and this scares us. Contrary to what we believe on a surface level, i.e., that we want to attain more power, in reality we are afraid of being powerful.

When it is a dream or a goal to strive towards achieving power, we can crave it, but it may not in fact come about, so we don’t have to face the reality of being powerful and the responsibility that it brings with it. While on the other hand, if we are already all powerful we must take responsibility and use it wisely, behaving in a loving, giving and compassionate manner.

If used appropriately, the opportunities we can create for ourselves and others are boundless when we accept and use our power. However, what if we were to tap into this power and use it for negative purposes? This is the question most of us have and the reason why we shy away from our power, fearing that we will use it in the wrong way. We mistakenly think that it is better to believe that we are powerless than to know that we are powerful and use it incorrectly.

The time has come, however, for us to welcome and accept our power, leaving behind any fears of misuse. When we use our power to help others we expand our power and that of the people we are helping also. However, if we use our power for wrongdoing, we contract our connection to our source, and to our power, and we ultimately become powerless.

Tapping into our power is as easy as realising that it lies within and that there is no need to seek it elsewhere. Notoriety, titles, achievements and so forth only create a false power or sense of power that is limited and fleeting. It only lasts as long as the title or achievement is relevant and can be lost as any time. This false power is ultimately unfulfilling and exists only on a surface level.

True power lasts, is in constant supply and is ever increasing or expanding. There is no fear of others “having” it as their power will not take away from ours, on the contrary, as more of us wake up to, and tap into, our power, more becomes available to others. This is because the frequency of true power when activated within an individual creates a chain reaction helping others around them to activate and attune to their power.

When we have this realization that we are the origin of our power, through our connection to Source or the Ultimate Power of which we are one, we can let go of fears, which hide our true nature from us. God (or whatever name you wish to use) is the source and the supply of which there is no limit. Beneath layers of fear, feelings of lack, self-pity, worry, anger and a list of other negative emotions lies strength, power, courage, peace, harmony and love. Have the courage to accept and use your divine power and enjoy the untold benefits that it brings to your life and the lives of others.

 

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Editor: Travis May

Photo: Wiki Commons