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Personal Power
Posted on April 17th, 2009 19 comments
Most people think of power as the ability to have authority over another. Or
that it’s the ability to conquer others. Hitler had that type of power.
The government seems to have that type of power when it comes to you working
and giving up a huge portion of your earnings. Or taking your tax dollars and
bailing out the airlines, mortgage companies and the list goes on, but that’s
another rant.
That is one type of power.
When I speak of power I’m referring to personal power. The type of personal
power the founding fathers of the United States had. The same type of
personal power Martin Luther King Jr. had to help move a nation. Not the
power of superiority or the power to conquer people. Not the power over
another person, but over yourself.
Personal power is one of the most misunderstood abilities we have, yet so
many people are volunteer victims because they never learn to use their own
personal power.
Personal power is taking control of your own destiny with goals, planning
and taking action. Without action you have no results. Personal power is
bolstered by linking these three things together to produce an outcome you
desire.
Most people never use their personal power because it takes work and some
discipline and action steps. You can flex your personal power muscles by
making a choice to do so, and by making a decision to go forward toward
your desired outcome.
Why is it most people never use their personal power to achieve great things
in their lives and contribute to others? Many suffer from learned helplessness.
Learned helplessness comes from not making the connection between taking
an action and creating the desires we want.
Learned helplessness is a psychological condition that I will talk about in the morning.
Have a wonderful day!
19 responses to “Personal Power”
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Most people are sheep and neither want nor seek personal power. They would rather go through life as easily as possible without making waves.
It reminds me of Zig Ziglars concept of flea training. Most people are trained (indoctrinated?) to only go so far. The comfort zones are strong so very few people strive to break the bonds that hold them back.
Steve
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Duane Cunningham April 17th, 2009 at 13:30
Hi Lynn,
That word “Personal Power” made so famous by Tony Robbins but is a vital asset in all success
For it only when you truly harness your personal power that will to take massive action in the direction of your laser beam focus do you make those massive advances that create lasting change and success
Another important post my friend!
Duane
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Very much looking forward to the next post.
Christian Haller
http://www.christianhalleronline.com -
Great post. So true. We could be enormously talented, charismatic, intelligent, etc. But to truly use those gifts we must have a vision of what we want to do with them and some kind of plan of how we will do it or how we will learn to do it.
Regards,
Anthony
http://www.anthonylemme.com -
Personal power matters most. As long as we’re strong within, then we are the “Untouchables”.
John Ho
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (WordPress)
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personalities for Better Influence & Persuasion (Vox Blog) -
Lynn,
You have such a gift for words! I always enjoy reading the each day. Your wisdom and insight is tremendous.
I loved these lines in your post today.
“Personal power is one of the most misunderstood abilities we have, yet so
many people are volunteer victims because they never learn to use their own
personal power.
Personal power is taking control of your own destiny with goals, planning
and taking action. Without action you have no results. Personal power is
bolstered by linking these three things together to produce an outcome you
desire.”
Very powerful!
Pam
Great Minds, Great Wealth: How to Raise your Return, Reduce your Risk, Cut your Cost -
I think most people are afraid to take charge of anything because if you don’t lead the idea is that you can’t be blamed for anything that goes wrong.
This is very clearly demonstrated each week on The Apprentice. Some people take charge as Project Leader and if they screw things up real bad then they get eliminated for bad decisions. But if they do a decent job as leader and lose in a close one, then the person that was trying to fly under the radar gets eliminated on the idea that a small contirbution might have tipped the scales.
In our own lives we need to take charge. No one else has our self-interest at heart…
Seize the Day,
Rob
Sales Eagles Soar Above the Competition!
Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners -
I think a lot of people don’t believe they can actually make a difference in their lives. They’ve never been taught this, and as a result of not having and believing this fact, they don’t try. They instead become “victims”.
Health, Fitness, Success — Darryl Pace
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What I think is so interesting is that you can tell by body language who is a “victim” and who has “personal power” in any room. Just the way a person stands, sits, etc. it RADIATES from them. I have a friend who everyone is always saying YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. She is in her 60’s and her beauty is mostly her amazing ability to not be a victim and always be awesomely cheerful. I have other friends who could be so much more attractive but who come on with this “poor me” attitude that drives people away. Personal power attracts friends and customers like a MAGNET!!!
SunnyMarie
http://www.sunnymarie.wordpress.com -
I love how Rob ties this into The Apprentice.
Your post today indeed being about Personal Power is where are the CEO of our own lives. Why would I want to be someone else’s employee like that on the TV show? Wonderful learning and business examples.
Just
I want to run my OWN business, not a sub-division of someone else’s. So I LIVE my own life. And LIVE until I actually die and not beforehand.
Best regards,
April Braswell
Dating Expert and Online Dating Coach
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Lynn,
I appreciate the kind words.
Great thoughts in this post, I wonder to how many people the idea of personal power is an alien concept? Consequently, I look forward to the next post.
Thanks
JC href=”jc
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Looking forward to learned helplessness. Sounds like a skill that people acquire. They can also then forget this skill.
Bob Kaufer
If you MOVE like the Tin Man, you will THINK like the Scarecrow and FEEL like the Lion -
Good definition of personal power: goals, planning, action. It’s up to the individual to elect to use their personal power.
-Pat
Business Owners Fast Track to Internet Profits -
Lynn, I agree with your philosophy. Another great post. Mark
Marketingscoops -
I really dig your stuff.
This is another fantastic post. I like the way you see things.
JJ Jalopy.
Life Coaching and Home Business Advice with JJ Jalopy -
I really enjoyed this post. It is heartbreaking to see how many people prefer taking the “easy” route of being a follower rather than exerting personal power
Yann
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I understand exactly what you mean. I remember telling a guy I know one time that he needed more strength of character, but what I actually was referring to was Personal Power. He didn’t understand what I meant, so after he fired three employees he thought that would prove his “strength.” If I had this post back then I would have been able to more accurately describe what I meant.
Lisa McLellan, Babysitting Classes – Babysitters, Nannies, and Au-pairs
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I have a friend who is as smart as anyone yet is failing in nearly every aspect of life. she has allowed herself to be a victim. her learned helplesness is a tragedy.
Don Shepherd
Central Oregon Expert -
Personal power is such a valuable asset to have
Expert in Medical Hypnosis, Success Thinking and Practical Parenting
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Steve Chambers April 17th, 2009 at 13:11