We’ve been talking about the Brilliance Margin for a few months now, and as we learn and grow, one of the most important things we can do is awaken to our own personal power.
What is power? Some define it by rising to the top of their profession. Some assess it by the way they feel, both personally and professionally. Look at what makes you feel powerful in your own skin. Is it landing a new client? Expressing empathy? Helping others? Standing strong in your convictions? If you need a little nudge to awaken your own personal power, start here.
1. Reflect on your childhood.
I know, I know. It always goes back to childhood, right? But this is a fun examination, not a painful one. What did you do for fun before your life was filled with “shoulds?” The thing (or things) you could spend all day everyday doing without a care in the world? How would it feel to tap back into your native gifts? What did you do extremely well, without a lot of help or guidance? Were you into drawing, writing, moving your body, climbing trees? These natural gifts are often the very ones that communicate what and how we “should” be choosing to spend our lives. (But this is a good should.) Tap back into your smaller self.
2. Reflect on your accomplishments.
We all have major accomplishments, even when we seem to live in a world that keeps raising the bar. Even if your proudest moment happened ten years ago, revisit it with fresh eyes and give yourself the praise you deserve. (Tell your imposter syndrome to take a back seat if you need to.) Next, reflect back on major milestones in your life. What are they? How did you get here? Resist the temptation to only look at work accomplishments. Examine your relationships, the achievement of personal goals over the years (weight loss, half-marathon, hosting a book club, adhering to a personal care routine). What do these achievements tell you about yourself? How does it feel to dip back into a reminder of how powerful you felt?
3. Get clear on your values and release what doesn’t align to them.
We all have a unique set of personal values that color the way we view the world and our relationships. Many of us are walking around in the world unaware of which values we ascribe to, as we haven’t sat down to identify them by name. While that is perfectly okay, getting clear on your core values makes your life (and arguably the lives of the people around you) easier and more enjoyable. Regardless of what your top values are, coming to understand exactly which are most important to you helps you better navigate your career and personal life. When we are out of alignment with our values, we can feel it in our hearts, minds, and bodies. When we are in alignment, we are happy, healthy, and serving a higher purpose in the world.
4. Dream about the future.
Many of my clients come to me saying something like this: “I chose my path as an 18-year old (child) and here I am in my thirties/forties, and I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to create a different kind of life or career.” As cheesy as it sounds, we should never stop dreaming. We are SO powerful and charting the course forward starts with a little daydreaming and wishing. Giving ourselves permission to dream allows us to tap into our inner voice and welcome in desires we may not have realized we had! Life is so full of interesting experience to be had. Why wouldn’t we try on some new ones every once in a while?
5. Take action.
Steps 1-4 all happened in your head and heart. Now it’s time to put something into action. How else can you figure out what new things may awaken your personal power than to try them on? Action steps can be as large or small as you would like: Don’t overcommit. Just experiment! If you don’t like the experience, relationship, or job that you are trying on, then let it go.
Stay out of the “should” zone. We are such a culture of achievement that many people won’t try something because they feel like they should be fully committed from the start. (That’s bogus, by the way.) You’ve got plenty of places in your life where you are truly committed, and when it comes to awakening your personal power, I want you to undercommit while you try things on…stay detached until you have clarity on what makes your heart sing.
