Power Begins With Yourself First, And Then Spreads To Everyone Around You

Some people have it, others don’t. Most will agree that we are all hungry for power, yet most of us don’t actually have a clue as to what exactly makes a person powerful. It’s not physical strength — that much we can all agree on. No, it’s something completely different; something that eludes most people simply because it is so difficult to define. We are all power hungry in one form or another.

Some of us like to be in charge of others. Some of us like to feel that we are smarter, wittier or more intelligent than others. Those of us that are most misguided believe that power requires hurting others. Some believe it comes with money — others believe that it comes with the connections that one makes through various paths of networking. But being powerful is actually much simpler than that — simpler to understand, but much more difficult to ascertain.

Being powerful requires more than one or two traits or a couple of extra zeros at the end of your bank account. We are not born with power, we create it. Each and every one of us has the potential to become powerful; it just takes understanding a few key concepts that are necessary for gaining the one single tool that has brought success to every person that has ever experienced successful.

It All Begins With How You Perceive Yourself

It’s not the car you drive or the apartment that you live in. It’s not the clothing you wear or the watch around your wrist. Power does not exist in possessions — it exists in you. If you want to be powerful then you must first believe yourself to be powerful. The way that we perceive ourselves projects to the outside world more than most of us realize. We may believe that while in private we can abuse ourselves, feel sorry for ourselves, make excuses for ourselves and no one would ever be the wiser, but that’s a load of crap. Others will notice, but more importantly you are allowing yourself to belittle yourself. You are allowing yourself to overlook your true potential.

Before you can project power, you must first embrace it. You must come to learn your strengths and, more importantly, your weaknesses. You must learn to give credit to yourself when it is due. I feel as if too many people these days are either too easy on themselves or too harsh. You aren’t perfect, and neither am I or anyone else in the world.

We all have character flaws and habits that need to be changed, but that’s the point of life. No one starts off successful, they have to work for it. However, if you can’t even learn to appreciate yourself and all that you are capable of then your journey has finished before it has even begun. You were born with the ability to be great, now take the opportunity that has been given to you and allow the feeling of power to wash over you.

Once You Perceive Yourself As Powerful, You Need To Make Others Perceive The Same

Why is it that when certain people walk into the room, the walls seem to come closer in, making them seem larger and everything and everyone else a bit smaller? It’s the same reason that people avoid conversations with certain people at a bar. We regularly look at people and can clearly tell what mood they are in, what kind of day they had, what kind of people they are most likely to be. This isn’t simple guessing; it’s perceiving body posture and micro expressions in peoples’ faces that allow us to judge them.

Some of us are more receptive at picking up on such gestures and cues than others. Some are completely incapable and almost always suffer from some sort of mental illness or disability. However, the average person can — to a relatively minute margin of error — correctly read how a person perceives him or herself. We can go beyond gestures, expressions and posture.

We look at how a person dresses, talks, moves and interacts with others. Everything that we do, how we look, what we talk about — all of it clearly defines who we are as individuals and, to a certain extent, gives others a peek into who we really are, into our "souls." If power is what you are after then you must first realize that you already have it, that you already are powerful. Understand what it is that you really are capable of and those around you will quickly see a change in you.

Another very important part of having power is having control. If you have control over something, it is said that you have power over it. When you are capable of having a certain amount of control over others that is when the power that is already in you starts to work for you in the outside world. This is not manipulation, you simply are able to present things in certain ways to people — in ways that better the chances of you getting what you want. You do not lie, you emphasize what matters.

Just as you have control over how others perceive you by understanding the power that you already have, you can also use your power to maximize your successful endeavors. To have power is to recognize that you already have it and to then use the knowledge that you have it and that others recognize it in a way that allows you to prosper.

In A World Full OF Bullsh*t, It’s The Actions That Count

Control is crucial. We want to have control over as much as we can in our lives while recognizing and accepting the things that we have no control over. What every individual should aim for is having complete control of themselves — body and mind. This is the point at which we begin developing and growing our innate power. We are capable of so much more than any of us realize.

The issue is that we are not trained to focus intently enough for long enough for that power to manifest itself in the outside world. In order to influence the world outside of ourselves we must act. Without action there is no change. The more precise and exact the action, the clearer the result. The more frequent the action, the more likely the actions will result in our favor. Power is only worth having if it is used in the one place where it really matters: in your mind.

To unleash your power you have no choice but to have a handle — control — over your thoughts. We should learn to direct our thoughts the best that we can and focus them on what matters most to us — what we want, why we want it and the actions that are necessary steps towards success. Once you have control over your mind you will have control over your body and your actions.

Once you have control of your actions you have better control over your life. Of course, life adds too many uncontrollable variables into the equation to ever be entirely certain of an outcome, but life is a game of chances; all we can do is make sure we have the best chances we can have. Having such control, such power, allows you to direct your life on whichever path you may choose. All that is left is chance. Having power is giving yourself the best chance at the best life you could possibly have. Why wouldn’t anyone want that for themselves?