Have you ever felt less powerful, either in certain situations or in some relationships? If so, that is a sign that you have lost some of your power. But there is good news – you can learn to reclaim your power and live in your full power. However, you must first recognize the signs of power loss and the ways in which you lose your power.
Reclaiming Your Power From What You Focus on Directly
Your power is the energy of your life force. When you focus on something, you send it your energy, you give it your power. Your energy causes what you focus on to grow. When you focus on something, you also attract it. Thus it is important to be conscious of what we are focusing on.
When you focus on negativity or the incessant chatter of internal talk, you send it your energy, and therefore your power. The more energy you give it, the more difficult it is to detach from it. As these patterns of focus become habitual, you can experience a profound energy loss.
Gossip is another example of a negative focus that can diminish your energy. The more you gossip, the more the gossip mill works overtime, taking more of your energy with it. Perhaps, in the moment you actually feel more powerful. But in the end, gossip is a disempowering phenomenon, in which nobody wins, and everyone involved loses some of their energy.
To reclaim your power from a negative focus, you must first become aware of when you are losing your power. Start to notice your internal talk. What dialogue is going on in your head now, as you are read this article? Check with yourself throughout the day. Even if you find yourself thinking seemingly neutral thoughts, such as how to handle a situation tomorrow, that inner dialogue drains your energy.
The more you practice mindfulness, or any form of meditation, the more you stop the power drain. Imagine going through the whole day, fully present in the moment, with no need for internal chatter. If you could accomplish this, you would be much more energized than when you are engaging in internal talk or gossip.
If you tend to participate in gossip, then practice abstaining from it. At first you may feel extremely uncomfortable. But in the long-term, it will keep you from losing your precious energy. And these practices will also conserve more of your energy for constructive activities.
Instead of practicing energy-draining activities, try focusing on creating something positive. When you do, you may be surprised to find that not only what you create grows, but you also grow. Instead of becoming depleted energetically, you can find yourself energized.
Also, begin to notice situations and relationships in which you feel less powerful. Ask yourself, “How am I giving away my power here?” Be open to receiving an answer. Once you have an understanding, you can decide if you want to make more empowering choices. But if you are unclear of how you are losing your energy, it will be difficult for you to make informed choices.
Reclaiming Your Power From What You Focus on Indirectly
We give energy both to what we focus on, and also to what we focus on avoiding. When you attempt to avoid something – whether you deny, minimize, rationalize, defend, or outright avoid it – you put your energy on keeping that thing away. But instead you actually energize it and give it your power, because repelling it requires that you put your focus on it. When you apply enough energy to keep something at bay, you actually give it energy and it expands. And then you must put more of your energy into avoiding that thing because it continues to grow larger.
Eventually what you try so hard to avoid can loom so large that you may organize your life around avoiding it. At this point, you don’t have the power to do what you desire in your life because you unintentionally send so much of your energy towards what you want to avoid.
The only way to take your power back from avoidance is to acknowledge what you have been avoiding. Allow yourself to perceive the truth of what you have worked so hard to obscure. Be in its presence and know it – without fear or internal talk. Perceive it as an observer. When you observe something from a neutral and detached place, you can see how much power you gave it. Then it is much easier to reclaim your power and use it for higher energy activities, like exercise, self-care, and discovering and fulfilling your life purpose.
Daily Practices for Re-energizing and Empowering
A simple way to reclaim your power begins with developing a habit of monitoring your inner world. Check with yourself throughout the day about your thoughts and where you are putting your focus, your energy. Make a conscious decision about where you want your energy to flow. Practice calling your power back from draining activities. Observe your power level in relationships and situations, and make more empowering choices, when you are willing.
These simple changes, along with practicing some form of meditation, can take only a few minutes at a time and provide a much-needed energy burst. Over time, you will find yourself with more energy to focus on what really matters to you, even at busy times in your life. Where will all the energy come from? It gets reclaimed from former energy drains. When you have plugged the energy leaks, you can choose where you want to consciously send your power. And you can use that extra energy to create what you really want in your life.
