I Have the Power!
An ode to He-Man
When I was a little girl, I loved to watch He-Man and She-Ra but cartoons like these were banned in my house, alongside Smurfs and My Little Pony. The little blue guys and sexy ponies were cast out because there was magic, and our house was a house of the Lord. And He-Man, fuhgeddaboudit. HE doesn’t have the power, God does. (Insert pre-pubescent eye-roll here). That didn’t stop me from sneaking peeks whenever I could.
In my line of work, empowerment is a buzz word. I would say that many performers don’t necessarily feel empowered, which is ironic because we certainly look like we are. We’re selling empowerment but most of us haven’t bought into it ourselves. Personally, I did not feel empowered until I was out of my marriage and found my voice and my inner strength. That was the first time I actually understood what empowerment meant and performing felt so much lighter and freer.
In my latest release, ‘Choose You: A People Pleaser’s Guide to Authenticity’, I discuss the different forms of power and how they impact our ability to make choices for ourselves.
One particular form of power, is power over. This is the type of power that is most familiar to us. Its super powers are coercion, manipulation and fear. And when I work with people one on one for confidence coaching, one of the things I hear is that people are afraid of their power because they don’t want to become ‘like that’.
Of course, this makes a lot of sense. Our most pervasive example of power is one that makes us fearful: parents, teachers, churches, government, the workplace. And I always tell those that I’m working with that there is no way you will become that because you are self-aware enough to ask that question. So what does it mean to embody your own power? How can we tap into our own He-Man instinct?
I believe that being empowered means that you can access your own choice. It is not about using your power to control other people but rather to actively engage in your own life story. It is an invitation to show up and participate in your life and practice awareness when things are pulling you off your desired path.
Empowerment is developed through self-love, confidence, trust and self-discovery. It is not loud. You don’t have to shout ‘I HAVE THE POWER’ in order to have it. I mean, you could and that would be fun…in fact, yeah, do that! It is fun! Remind yourself that you DO have the power. It is in you and has been this whole time. I do not need to give you permission to access it, but what I can give you is a safe space to explore it. My desire is for you to find your power. That is where all your potential and greatness lies and it looks different for everybody. Confidence and empowerment isn’t one size fits all. It is unique to you and your vision and your choice.
I encourage you to examine your relationship to power and why you may be avoiding your own potential. And if you are in your power already, great! How can you be a safe space for others so they can access their own power?