5 Internal Power Generators For the New Year
The Word Power
I was recently gifted 5 words for 2023. One of them was POWER.
It made me super uncomfortable, and I wondered why.
Why am I so uncomfortable with the word POWER?
Because as a woman, I never use POWERFUL to express how I feel. I have a whole list of other words that mean the same thing. But POWERFUL is usually used by someone with authority, male, or in an unbalanced relationship with someone being the weaker party.
HOW can I claim a word, if I can’t feel comfortable with it? I Redefine, Reframe, and Reclaim.
WHAT do I mean by Powerful?
Other words that carry the right feeling without the negatives for me are: Confident, On-track, Aligned, & Skillful
WHEN do I feel like that?
For me, specifically, I notice that feeling the most when I’m channeling creative energies, also called connecting to “the Flow” (See Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talk on Flow).
Asking The Question
But I was curious.
When I’m curious. I ask myself questions. Then I ask my friends those questions, and then I ask strangers those questions.
“When do you feel powerful?”
The women all asked me for context, but the men just answered.
The Responses
The responses came in texts, messenger, and story screenshots. I took all the data and compiled it. AND THEN - divided it into 2 categories: External Power Sources & Internal Power Sources. Let’s take a look!
"Everyone has a version of themselves that has always been there. She's been waiting to be let out. This is our elevated state of self, and when you are aligned with your purpose, and that feeling is powerful." Kay Cote
(Be sure to check out her new Elevate You! Podcast - Launching Jan2)
External/Comparative Power Sources
Time & Place → I feel powerful when compared to other women in history.
Hierarchy of Needs Met → I feel powerful when I have a reliable job.
Health → I feel powerful when my body works.
Internal Power Generators
Internal Connection → I feel powerful when I’ve just done my morning meditation.
Internal Reflection → I feel powerful when I understand my emotions completely.
Internal Alignment → I feel powerful when I’m actively leading.
Internal Reliance → I feel powerful when I know an obscure fact without looking it up.
Internal Fulfillment → I feel powerful when I’m using my talents and abilities to do a job skillfully or completely.
Claiming Your Power
As you can see, the responses fall into two categories:
External Power Sources OR Internal Power Generators
What’s really interesting to me, is that when your power is dependent on an external source, you don’t actually have the power. It can shift at any time.
Feed Your Internal Power Generators
BUT if you look at the responses for the Internal Power Generators.
These are tools you can take with you throughout your whole life.
1. Internal Connection
Take a breath. Meditate. Connect with the person behind your eyes. Listen. This is where you gain an introduction.
2. Internal Reflection
This is where you take notes on what your heart is telling you.
ProTip: I find sitting down with a good strong mug of coffee and journaling after meditating is my best method of reflecting on what is in my heart.
It’s ok if what comes out on paper isn’t nice, or even good. This is where you listen to the light and dark things behind your eyes without judgment or criticism. Just get it all out. The medicine and the poison.
Write out your dreams AND write out what you think is holding you back. Then CROSS OUT THE CRITICISM. You’re left with what is important. This is where you gain understanding.
3. Internal Alignment
You know that journaling in the last step? Yeah. Don’t skip that. Go back and do that before you hit this step.
This is where you look at your notes and circle the things that keep on repeating. Unrealistic dreams that keep persistently dreaming.
Then you ask yourself. HOW can I get my life to look like that? What skill, place, or people do I need to learn, move to, or meet in order to align to that vision?
This is where you gain the BIG PICTURE.
4. Internal Reliance
It may take a while to get to this step. But always be moving toward it. This is the real-life practice. Start on one of those Big Picture dreams above. Just one small step. AND repeat. (for 10,000 hours)
This is where you feel a thrill of accomplishment after starting & completing a hard task, proving your skill in a measurable way, or creating something that aligns with your big picture.
It’s not about raw talent. It’s about putting that talent into daily practice until it becomes a skill. This is where you gain refinement.
5. Internal Fulfillment
This is where you get that sense of THIS IS THE THING when you’re in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing for the right reasons.
This is where you are living in your calling.
When you take time to connect to, align with, and live out your calling – you become a power generator.
You are POWERFUL.
Bringing it All Together
We ALL have a set of EXTERNAL POWER variables that shift around us. Sometimes it’s called luck, or fortune, or economic advantage.
We ALL carry a set of internal POWER GENERATORS inside our soul & experience. When we take time to recognize and reclaim that set, no one can take that power from us.
SO, WHEN DO YOU FEEL POWERFUL?
❤️🔥
Meet The Author
Sue from Skavlem Designs
When I make a design, I think – What can this do?
These designs don’t just exist. These designs DO. They work hard alongside you and your business. These designs are levers. They are sales. They are engaged customers. They are brand recognition that gets you that meeting.
Top 3 things I love to do: Read. Paint. Snowboard.
