"Personal Power"

Personal Power- Before I cover my definition of Personal Power, let me review the 4 previous components:

Purpose – Who you are and what you have been called to do – One of my favorite quotes is “The two most important days of your life are: first, the day that you are born and the second is when you find out why.”

Passion – This is what gives you boundless energy and motivation that is connected to your purpose. Directing your energy to what makes you feel alive will be the motivation you need to continue on this journey and what others will be attracted to. This will be your greatest selling point.

Priority – How you spend your energy and time – this often gives insight into both Purpose and Passion. By being intentional with your daily activities and interactions, you will be empowered to accomplish what is truly meaningful to you and seeing the results of this focused energy.

Presence – Showing up moment to moment as your authentic self and being totally comfortable and alive in this space. This is where you will attract all resources needed to accomplish your intentions/goals. By being present, you will have the capacity to respond rather than react, making choices and decisions aligned with your purpose. You will also create the environment for others to join you in this space.

Personal Power – What you will experience when Purpose, Passion, Priority and Presence are in alignment. You will now act out of personal power in every situation not at the expense of others but out of a place of being your authentic self, enjoying great success and creating a better life for you and others.

Power definitions – what personal power is not

Power has reared its ugly side since humans walked the earth. This was mainly due to acting out of fear and survival. These basic instincts are hardwired in our brains and passed on from generation to generation in hopes of propagating the species. And as we know, there is a different way that can both accomplish creating new generations but not at the expense of some being inferior to others. This will be a whole podcast as part of my next series entitled unconscious bias.

My journey of personal power continues to evolve and has its roots in my upbringing. Growing up – strict catholic, Italian household – grandparents living with us – I thought I had no personal power – that coupled with low self-esteem – thought everyone else was better, had more freedom, etc. I was constantly on the lookout for situations that would highlight these feelings and avoid them like the plague – compensate by agreeing ang pleasing. To the point of losing myself and not knowing who Dominic was any more. I remember one of the key points that contributed to all of these feelings and beliefs which I will describe in detail in my Gremlins episode on September 8th – not blaming anyone – it just happened and more important that I talk about my journey to personal power so I can continue learn from this and help others do the same.

Here are the common characteristics:

1. Always act out of a place of love

2. Are deeply rooted in their values and this is what guides every decision and interaction

3. Comfortable in own skin and allows others to be as well

4. Humble

5. Persevere in the face of adversity

6. Helps others accomplish their goals while accomplishing their own

7. Create nurturing and supportive relationships

8. Prioritizes family, spirituality/meaning, and friendships

9. Can be respectful and still set healthy boundaries

10. Constantly developing one’s emotional intelligence

AFFIRMATIONS

PURPOSE/EFFECTS

Affirmations help us to develop a positive mindset and thus break down the barriers that negative thinking puts up in our day-to-day lives. Positive affirmations remind us of the joy of life and affect our subconscious mind in order to grow our capacity to create our own successes and mold our own reality.

METHOD

Summary:

Create a positive statement addressing a desire for change and repeat it daily.

Long Version

1. Begin by making a list of the areas of your life in need of improvement; nearly any arena can be positively affected by the use of affirmations, but for demonstrative purposes, we will create affirmations for anxiety and stress reduction.

2. Now create a list of positive statements that reflect this goal: “I am intelligent” instead of “I’m not dumb.”

3. The statements should be in the present tense; remember, you are trying to change your present situation, not the future. In our example, it is better to say “I am a calm person, free from worry” than “I will be a calm person, free from worry.”

4. You can choose to speak your affirmations. Repeat them throughout the day until they begin to take hold…and continue after that! Like an antibiotic, you shouldn’t stop at the first sign of improvement. Some people choose to speak their affirmations in the mirror while looking themselves in the eye because it magnifies the importance of the message. You can even sing your affirmations! Just be sure to say them like you really believe them.

5. You can choose to write down your affirmations. You can write them over and over to imprint them on your mind, or you can write them on a card which you take out and look at throughout the day.

Vision Setting

Pick one aspect of your life that you would like to work on – can be:

Career, Spiritual, Physical, Relationships, etc. – Picturing one yet?

Once you think about this area, what specifically would like to change? Could be to achieve a certification, become more physically active, save money for retirement – whatever is speaking to you right now.

Fast forward 1 year from now – what will be different for you in this area of your life? How will this make you feel about yourself? How will others respond to you? How might this impact other areas of your life?

Back to the current moment – what is one micro action you can take later today or tomorrow to begin this journey? Could it be to contact a financial planner? Researching companies that offer your certification? Taking a short walk after dinner?

Now – write this micraction down with a deadline to complete it.

Once complete, check this off and share it with a family member or friend as you think about the next microaction.

Use your affirmation statement to keep up your momentum.

To wrap-up:

Personal Power for me comes down to these following points:

· Be honest with yourself and then with others

· Then be clear about your needs and wants with those around you coming from this place of personal power and watch how strong you become