Thursday, August 2, 2007

Thoughts On Personal Power

What is 'Personal Power'?

Some people mistake Personal Power for being in control and being the most 'in control,' however, this is not really what personal power is.

Personal Power is about confidence in oneself - even to the point that one allows another person to 'be in control' of certain things in life and in relationships. It definitely is NOT about being controlling, being a control freak or needing to be in control of EVERYTHING!

The words 'Power' and 'Control' have been grossly misused and misconstrued in most societies. Power has come to mean 'absolute control' in most instances.

One can be very much in control of their own person and maintain Personal Power even if they are not the primary person in control of others.

Personal Power means owning your own feelings and making your own decisions. Sometimes it means making the decision to let someone else control something. For instance, if you are a frazzled out worker who is wrapped up in too many projects at once, too much paperwork and too many tasks are driving you into the ground, you can gain Personal Power by designating some tasks to others. You will lose basic control of the tasks, but will regain confidence in self by bringing your job tasks in better balance with what you can reasonably accomplish as a single working person.

OWNING the fact that you feel frazzled, that you took on too much work - and admitting this is all part of Personal Power. Even if you try to designate tasks and this doesn't work, having ownership over how you feel, over knowing your true limits, and being realistic about things will help you to cope better with work, in general.

You can't exude Personal Power without, first, understanding your strengths and weaker points. Gaining command of a situation that you don't really have the skills to manage isn't really Personal Power - it is foolish, stressful, and often personal sabotage. Often, getting yourself into a situation like this will necessarily end on a bad, negative note, and you will not have gained confidence, credibility or anything, really. This is called, simply, 'gaining control of a situation,' but this gain doesn't ensure 'success' in the situation at all.

You can gain Personal Power by engaging in things that you know you are suited for. You can go ahead and realistically challenge yourself by getting into activities or situations that you believe in, as well, and if you accomplish what you set out to do.....THEN you will have gained some Personal Power. If you fail at the tasks, having gone into them with reasonable expectations, you won't necessarily LOSE any Personal Power.

Personal Power is about asserting a realistic self and placing oneself in situations that offer a chance for self-growth, self-realization, and a real view of who a person is.