It is a foregone conclusion that each of us is 100% in charge of our lives, yet as a species we still tend to let other people dictate how we feel, how our lives progress, or how happy we are in general.
This has to stop.
You are at this moment (and you always have been) in a position of power over your life. No one can control what happens from this point forward except for you; it doesn’t matter what your present situation is. No matter who you are, or what your circumstances are, you can start right now to exercise your position of power, and you will retain that right for as long as you live.
Wow! Pretty cool, right? Okay, now what the heck does all of that mean?
In short, a position of power is simply your ability to control every single aspect of your life. However, a more situation-specific use of your position of power is where the magic really starts to happen!
Whenever you are considering any given course of action in your life, but you aren’t 100% confident that things will go your way, or that you will do the “right” thing, adopting a position of power with regards to that specific situation will put you in a frame of mind that ensures your success.
Career/Job
It is perfectly natural to question your level of confidence or your abilities when you are looking for a rewarding career position, but it is also completely unnecessary – if you have the right attitude.
I guarantee that no matter where you work or want to work, if you have a burning desire and intention to do everything in your power to succeed, you are already in a position to do that job 10 times better than people who have more experience than you, or who have more education.
Your desire and your intention to do a good job are far more valuable than any education, or even a gold-plated resume’. In fact, any employer that you are considering interviewing with would be lucky if you even gave them the opportunity to hire you.
That’s a position of power!
Health and Fitness
Many people who have struggled with their weight or their ability to be healthy will have very serious issues when it comes to having the confidence to achieve long-term success, or to excel in their fitness or athletic ventures.
There is nothing that you cannot do when it comes to your physical body. In fact, the physiology of the human body when it comes to weight loss or athletic success is one of the most well understood of all of the sciences.
If you have been led to believe that you can’t lose weight or become an athlete because of your genetics or because of some physical limitation, you have been lied to.
Adopt the attitude now – once and for all – that you CAN achieve success, that you WILL achieve success, and in fact, you HOPE someone tries to talk you out of it, because you’re ready to blow them out of the water with your confidence and your resolve to succeed.
That’s a position of power!
Relationships
Are you trying to find that Mr. or Mrs. Right, but you think you’re not attractive, or that you’re overweight, or that you’re not smart enough, funny enough, entertaining enough, blah, blah, blah…
If you keep thinking that way, you’ll find a way to prove yourself right over and over again. You probably already have several times.
You can have anything that you want when it comes to relationship success!
Have you ever seen a guy who has a huge beer belly and bad body odor, yet he is dating one of the hottest girls in town? Have you ever seen a girl with curves in all the wrong places and really bad acne, yet she is on the arm of a guy who could be an underwear model for Calvin Klein?
Is it magic? Are those people under some sort of a spell? Are they being blackmailed or coerced?
Hardly. In those instances, the people who seem like unlikely candidates for the relationship success that they’ve achieved have simply adopted a winning attitude – they have a position of power. As far as they are concerned, Ms. Hottie and Mr. Underwear Model Guy are lucky to even get their time and attention.
That’s a position of power!
Every situation that was just described could also be reversed:
- When it’s time for you to leave a job, not only is your present employer lucky to have gotten as much of your time as they have, but they owe you a good letter of recommendation, too! Even if you don’t deserve one, you can probably still get it if your attitude is on straight when you ask for it.
- When it comes time for you to stand down from your position as head health nut in your neighborhood or at your gym, you have already done your bit for King and Country. Make plans to continue on your own health and fitness path; the people that you have helped are better off for having had you in their lives. In fact, they should throw you a big going away party – complete with lots of cake and ice cream!
- When it’s time for you to leave a relationship, you aren’t getting “away” from someone that you don’t want to be with anymore. Rather, you have simply grown into a person that is no longer compatible with your previous mate. Not only are you well within your rights to take the nearest exit, but YOU will call the shots on how it all ends, not the other person.
Those are all positions of power.
Here’s the thing, though: Nothing has physically changed in any of the situations described above. In most cases, you will not be any smarter, cuter, richer, more educated, more evolved, or more experienced than you were when you started.
However, your mind is in the right place now, and your mind is what controls how you feel, what you say, and what you do.
How cool is it that by simply changing your mind, you can change your life?
What an inspiring post!
I guess it’s part of society and culture that indoctrinates the majority of folks into the believe their worthiness were limited based on their education, job, salary, physiology, … and turn them into well behaving employees, customers, debtors and citizens.
Yours John.
John,
That’s exactly how it works, too! People tend to think that their “worth” is based on how they compare to others in their society, and that is, of course, ridiculous.
Not only is that ridiculous in any given society, but it can be further demonstrated by comparing someone’s alleged worth in one society to a completely different culture. People with 12 years of college aren’t exactly in demand by the tribes of Africa, while at the same time, an African tribe member wouldn’t do very well in a corporate position in an industrialized country.
Each of us excels based on our own gifts, interests, and desires, and no one is a better judge of what any person has to offer than that person. By having confidence in what we have to offer as individuals, we become unstoppable!
This is 100% right. You are powerful. No one grants you power but you. You must accept the power you already have. That means taking charge right now. I love this message. Keep ’em coming.
Thanks, Steve!
It’s funny, because most people that you ask will reply emphatically that they are in charge of their lives. However, not 24 hours will go by (if even that long) before they demonstrate otherwise.
I’m with you, Steve…take charge right now!
Aaron that was a great article. We only have power when we choose to use it.
I think you would be interested in the TV show, Human Body: Pushing the Limits on the Discovery Channel. Sort of off topic, but it talks about the potential of the brain, and how it controls our perception of everything. I think you would like it.
P.S. – “It is a foregone conclusion that each of is 100% in charge of our lives” I think you meant to put an “us” their. 😉
This is such an improved way to approach life. Many people go through life thinking they have to earn power and self-determination. If we could only all see that we are *born* with these things as our birthrights.
Thanks for the reminders, Aaron.
Steve,
Thanks for the heads up! It just goes to show that no matter how often you proof-read something, a different pair of eyes may see something that you missed! 🙂
As far as how our brains control our perceptions, as well as our bodies, I’m a firm believer. As far as I’m concerned, humans can walk on water – we just don’t THINK that we can, which is why we sink!
Maria,
Glad to put those reminders out there, as always.
Us adults could learn a lot from kids who have not yet been conditioned by society. Children can do amazing things because society hasn’t yet taught them that they can’t.
If educated and experienced adults could adopt the “anything is possible” attitude that many children have, it would be joyous to watch as the world in general realized how much power we have all been leaving on the table this whole time! 🙂
First of all, I just have to comment on the image. Pretty funny and drives a point. Unfortunately, although we’re supposedly in charge of our lives, we tend to let our decisions and feelings be decided by other people or other outside elements. But all it takes is a second of awareness for us to start thinking for ourselves. Or at least, start questioning why we let ourselves be controlled by others.
Jay,
Thanks for the feedback, and for your comment! I looked around for a good picture for this post, and when I saw that one, I knew that was the best pic for the job! 🙂
I like what you said about it only taking a second of awareness, because that is so very true. Nothing outside of ourselves – including other people – needs to change in order for us to start feeling more positive and more in control of the situation!
Hey Aaron.
It’s funny, we were talking about this very thing over at Steve Olson’s blog. Like me Aaron, you have a background in personal training so you’ve dealt with people’s eating related issues, destructive habits and destructive relationships and you know that, for the majority of us, life is all about choices.
I recently had the privilege of meeting a guy called Bobby Cappuccio
who came from the worst possible of abusive background imaginable yet has choosen to be positive.
You are absolutely spot on! Great article!
Craig
Thank you so much, Craig!
Bobby’s story just goes to show that it’s not what happens to us that matters, but rather how we RESPOND to what happens to us.
As Jay indicated above, all it takes is that one second of awareness to realize that we can take the position of power over any/every single moment. From there, we can build whatever future we would like, regardless of what has happened in the past!