Embracing your personal power and inner strength is key to unleashing potential. This internal energy helps us face challenges, achieve goals, and enjoy life. This power is often underused. We’ll introduce you to a process for unlocking your potential and tapping into positive energy.
Do you feel drained, even when you’re winning? We’re all chasing power, but what if we’re doing it wrong? There are two kinds: ego-based and spirit-based. One drains you while the other fuels you. Which one are you using? The answer could change everything. We have an exercise that will answer these questions. Get your journal and get ready to do some inner work.
What is the Source of Your Personal Power?
There are many aspects or perspectives to this function of the psyche. One way to see this is as the power of your spirit. Your inner energy and strength boost your confidence. They help you make important decisions, act in challenging situations, and reach your goals.
It is the source of your inner strength, which some call willpower. We recognize people who show high levels of this energy. They may not be imposing, but they exude confidence and demonstrate how to get things done.
To achieve this goal, we must unlock our full potential. Let’s start by defining that aim. Then, we’ll examine the different dimensions and sources of this energy.
Unleashing Potential and Inner Strength
Imagine you’re a seed. Seeds are packed with the potential to become an enormous tree with beautiful leaves and maybe even fruit! We are just like that seed. We all have the potential to flourish but need the right soil, water, and support. Many people live their lives as seeds kept on the shelf. They are never planted and never get the chance to tap into the potential passed down by the generations.
Unleashing potential is reaping the harvest of planting and tending to seeds. It’s about using your talents and abilities to achieve.
It won’t always be easy—there will be challenges. But with self-belief and nurturing, you’ll blossom. Like gardeners, we must cultivate various sources to let our inner awesome shine.
The Dimensions of Personal Power and Inner Strength
Think of this inner power as a mix of dimensions that fuel your willpower, sense of control, and influence. Let’s review the different aspects or dimensions of this energy.
From a psychological standpoint, this internal drive is rooted in your belief in yourself. This means that if you think you can do something, you’re more likely to try it and succeed. Having confidence in your abilities is a key part of feeling powerful. It originates from individual characteristics rather than external formal authority. Someone with strong personal energy focuses on their self-efficacy and ability to cooperate with others.
Socially, this inner strength is about your ability to influence others. If you can communicate well and connect with people, you can persuade them to listen to your ideas and take action. Building relationships and having a network of contacts can also increase your social power.
Spiritually, personal power comes from within. This means understanding your values, finding meaning in your life, and living in a way that feels authentic to you. Having inner strength and resilience can help you cope with challenges and feel more powerful.
Politically, this power is about having a voice in your community and country. This means taking part in the political process, advocating for your beliefs, and working with others to create change. Being informed about the issues and exercising your rights can increase your political power.
Economically, our internal power is linked to your financial resources. If you have access to money, property, and opportunities, you have more freedom to make choices and pursue your goals. Learning how to manage your finances and build wealth can increase your economic power.
Asking, “What is the source of your personal power and inner strength?” forces us to examine the sources of our motivation and the reasons we want things.
Each of these dimensions gives you strength and willpower. The energy for this power must come from somewhere. If you understand where that energy comes from, you can tap into it! We can get the energy for unleashing potential from two primary sources: the ego or the spirit.
Ego As the Source of Your Personal Power
The ego is the home of our personality and instinct. It is an aspect of awareness that mediates between our primal instincts and the external world. It’s concerned with self-preservation, validation, and maintaining a consistent sense of identity.
When programmed by an unhealthy culture, the ego becomes our identity. While essential for functioning, the ego can be controlled through religious indoctrination and political propaganda.
Relying on the ego means depending on external conditions for power. These include beliefs, achievements, social status, and what others think of us. This makes our sense of self shaky. These factors are unstable and can change. Research shows (1) that people with a strong ego identification may feel more anxiety and depression. This often happens when self-image is challenged.
For example, when a president loses an election or someone loses their job, their power and status drop. This counterfeit power offers a fake happiness that relies on fleeting things. When those things are gone, it leads to disappointment and feelings of loss.
The problem is that it is difficult to know when you are being controlled by the ego and cultural programming. Religion and politics take advantage of this blind spot to control people.
Spirit As the Source of Your Personal Power
On the other hand, spiritual wisdom emphasizes the importance of connecting with our deeper, authentic self—our spirit or soul. This connection goes beyond the ego. It taps into the eternal energy of the universe that doesn’t rely on outside factors.
The spirit is your deepest, most authentic self. It is the observer, the inner essence of awareness. The spirit is about being, while the ego is about doing and appearing. The spirit seeks connection, while the ego seeks separation and distinction. Understanding these dimensions is crucial as we explore how the ego influences our sense of self.
From a spiritual perspective, this power comes from aligning with our true purpose. It cultivates compassion and our inherent worthiness. Research (3) suggests that those who practice spirituality and seek meaning in life have greater resilience. They also enjoy better emotional health and feel a stronger sense of personal power and inner strength. This power isn’t about control or dominance. It’s about finding inner peace, accepting yourself, and facing life’s challenges with grace and wisdom.
True, lasting power comes from a deeper source: the soul. People like Barack Obama, Russell Brand, Alan Watts, and the Dalai Lama lead with inner strength and authenticity, not ego. To unlock your potential, look beyond the ego and tap into the power within.
The power that comes from the spirit is eternal, not temporary. It’s the source originating from the universal spirit or soul, the consciousness of all matter. We can experience the source when we meditate and enter the 4th state of pure consciousness.
You can reclaim or regain a connection with this source through regular meditation. It is a partition of consciousness without thought, only awareness. Here, we realize that our authentic source is beyond the constructs of religion and commercialism.
Choosing the Source of Your Personal Energy
Time to get out your journal and get ready to answer some questions as we start this investigative journey.
Identify Your Values and Beliefs Part One
Identifying the source and embracing your personal power and inner strength is a two-step process. First, you answer a set of questions about each area of your life. Then, you rank the answers in the order of their importance to you. If you don’t have an answer for the question, skip it for now. If you have more than one answer, list them all.
Not every question will apply to you, so don’t worry if you don’t have answers for all the questions. Write the answer that first comes to mind. Don’t spend more than 30 seconds thinking about the question.
Psychological (Self-Efficacy/Belief):
- What am I good at?
- What accomplishments am I most proud of, and what skills did I use to achieve them?
- How do I cope with stress and adversity?
Social (Influence/Relationships):
- Who are the people in my life who support and encourage me?
- Who do I admire and respect, and what qualities do they possess?
- What groups or communities do I belong to, and how do I contribute to them?
Spiritual (Inner Strength/Values):
- What are my core values and beliefs, my non-negotiables?
- What activities bring me a sense of peace and fulfillment?
- How do I stay true to myself and my values, even when it’s difficult?
Political (Agency/Voice):
- What issues am I passionate about?
- How do I advocate for the rights of others?
- What changes do I want to see in my community and the world?
Economic (Resources/Financial Independence):
- What do I spend my money on?
- How do I share my resources with others who are less fortunate?
- How do I use my resources to support my values?
By completing part one of identifying beliefs and values, you will have a list of values that link to the source of your personal power. In part two, we’ll find out if we need to change our priorities.
Identifying Values and Beliefs Part Two
The second part of this personal assessment is to force rank your answers from the highest down. Read each answer. Pick the belief or value most important and place a number 1 next to it. Then work your way down the list. You will end with a list of values ranked from the highest to the lowest priority or importance.
Look for Patterns and Clusters
You can analyze your answers by determining which area has the highest priority. Are your most important beliefs and values focused on one group, such as social or economic? Or are your top-rated beliefs and values spread across several areas?
Psychologists say a healthy mind is balanced. It includes positive beliefs and values from different areas. If your answers aren’t balanced, you can improve this. Choose exercises that boost your personal power in the weaker areas.
Analyze the Content of your Answers
Next, review the content of your answers. Ask yourself this: Do my beliefs and values include positive, life-affirming ones? You can determine which are positive and negative based on the following definitions.
Defining Positive Life-Affirming Beliefs and Values
Positive values focus on love, compassion, and kindness. These beliefs encourage us to care for ourselves and others. They value honesty, integrity, and authenticity in every interaction. This builds courage, resilience, and perseverance when facing challenges. Focusing on gratitude, optimism, and hope builds a positive outlook. Also, embracing growth, learning, and self-improvement supports personal development.
Inclusive life-affirming values promote connection, community, and belonging and offer support and purpose. Also, seeking respect, justice, and equality helps create a more peaceful world. These values and beliefs guide us toward a meaningful and fulfilling life. Positive values arise from our spiritual nature.
Defining Negative Harmful Beliefs and Values
Negative beliefs often focus on self-interest. This can lead to a lack of empathy and a disregard for others’ well-being. They show up as dishonesty, manipulation, and a lack of integrity in relationships and interactions.
On the social level, they manifest as backward and regressive beliefs, such as racism. They lead to bias, prejudice, discrimination, marginalization, and violence against groups.
Holding on to fear and negativity can make you see the world pessimistically. If you resist growth, learning, and self-reflection, you could feel stuck and resentful. Isolation, exclusion, and a sense of superiority can damage community bonds and cause division.
Focusing on power, control, and domination can lead to injustice, inequality, and conflict. These values and beliefs can create a life filled with negativity, harm, and a lack of fulfillment. Negative values are promoted by the ego.
We’ve explored what unleashing potential means and the sources of our inner strength. It’s time to look at the tools to repair and enhance this mental asset.
Tools For Embracing Your Personal Power And Strength
Here are the steps to reclaim this vital energy:
1. Eliminate the Source of Harmful Programming
Think of “harmful programming” like bad computer code that messes up your brain. This bad code comes from places that try to control your thoughts, like some religions or commercials that make you want to buy things you don’t need. These places can teach you bad ideas that aren’t true. To get soul power, you need to find where these bad ideas are coming from and stop letting them in. It’s like blocking spam on your computer!
There are several inner work tools you can use to identify harmful beliefs and values. Start with the repeating question exercise. Explore the beliefs and values identified earlier. Or use a general question to find what’s hidden in your subconscious. For example, repeat the question, What is the source of your personal power? Search for different answers. This will yield data on your beliefs.
Decide to change what you believe, replacing harmful beliefs with positive ones. Read the articles about changing self-talk on this website and find the tools that work for you. Use a journal. This will also help you spot harmful beliefs, values, and thought patterns.
2. Reframe, Replace, and Reprogram Beliefs and Values
Once you know where the bad ideas are coming from, you can change them! “Reframing” means looking at old ideas in a new way. “Replacing” means getting rid of the bad ideas and putting good ones in their place. “Reprogramming” is like teaching your brain a new way to think. For example, if you used to think you weren’t good at something, you can reprogram your brain to believe you are good at it! You can do this by saying positive things to yourself every day.
Learn Japa meditation and use it daily. This will provide a foundation for clear thinking. Use mantras and sutras to heal your mind. Practice positive affirmations to overcome harmful beliefs and values.
3. Cultivate a Healthy, Skeptical Mindset
“Skeptical” doesn’t mean you don’t believe anything. It just means you ask questions and think for yourself. A healthy, skeptical mind is like a detective that looks for clues and finds the truth. Don’t just believe everything you hear! Read books, learn new things, and think about your own thoughts. This will help you see the world in a new way.
4. Connect with your Intuition
Your “intuition” is like a little voice inside you that tells you what’s right or wrong. It’s your gut feeling! To connect with your intuition, you need to be quiet and listen. Try things that help you relax and pay attention to your feelings, like spending time in nature or doing something creative. The more you listen to your intuition, the stronger it will become!
5. Use Self-Care Techniques
Taking care of yourself is super important for building soul power! “Self-care” means doing things that make you feel good inside and out. This includes things like:
— Practice Mindfulness, which is the art of being present and aware of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. It helps us to develop a sense of inner calm and clarity.
— Prioritize Sleep because it is crucial for our health. Getting enough rest helps us handle challenges in life better. Prioritizing sleep is a simple self-care technique that can help develop a healthy mind, body, and spirit.
— Set Boundaries: Boundaries are essential for maintaining our emotional and mental well-being. By setting boundaries, we can protect our mental space and cultivate a sense of self-respect. This includes healthy boundaries of belief.
— Exercise Regularly as it is an excellent self-care technique that can help us stay physically healthy and mentally strong. Regular exercise can increase self-confidence and self-esteem. This helps improve our overall health and wellness.
If you want to unlock your potential, you need to work on building the power of your spirit. Get rid of bad ideas, change your thinking, think for yourself, listen to your gut, and take care of yourself. If you do these things, you can become a better person and make the world better!
In Conclusion
The key to unleashing your potential is embracing your personal power and strength. We must take steps to remove the sources of the harmful influences of commercialism and religion.
Using inner work tools, we can identify the bias, prejudice, and bigotry these institutions program into our minds. Then, we must have the courage to change by replacing, reprogramming, and reframing our beliefs and values. If we do this, we become a better person and help to change the trajectory of sectarian and separatist ideologies infecting society. This journey starts with one important question. What is the source of your personal power?
References
(1) Anxiety, Depression and Quality of Life—A Systematic Review of Evidence from Longitudinal Observational Studies, National Library of Medicine
(2) Striving for personal-power as a basis for social power dynamics. Wikipedia
(3) A systematic review of cross-cultural measures of resilience and its promotive and protective factors, National Library of Medicine