Power has always been something that fascinates me. One of its definitions describes it as the possession of control. To an extent, money equals power, but this is usually over people, and some things are constantly outside your control, no matter how wealthy you are. We know this, so we overextend our boundaries on what we can control.

Also, since you can easily buy into self-deceit, you only stick to easy control and convince yourself you are not in charge of the hard ones. Let’s look at this instance: you have no power over what people genuinely think of you; people can say or do things in your favor, but chances are they expect the same or something else in return.

You know this, so you keep investing your resources in your physical appearance and constantly compromise your values to influence their opinion. This is way easier than dealing with your self-loathing and fixing your self-image. So, you power-trip; it’s entirely unnecessary, but you do it anyway. Since no one sees what goes on in your head, they only know what you want them to.

But when it gets quiet, and there’s no one to exert the fake control you have created, you blame everything and everyone else except you. At least you can do that instead of facing yourself again. I believe power itself is not evil, but the choices that come with it are entirely reflective of who you are. If you think you are better than anyone, your preferences will always reflect that.

If you rely on people’s opinions to define who you are, your values will hold no water. And because your power is based on things that ultimately don’t count, you keep reaching further out to fill a void that can only be filled from within. It’s the classic coping mechanism of avoidance; it’s hard, so you overdeliver on the easy ones, hoping that this control overshadows the parts you abandon.

I am not saying to leave things to chance or avoid responsibility. You’re powerful, more than you even know. What scares you is the full extent of that power, not the power itself, but the choices you can make. You know you can let that person go; you’re sure you can smash that goal, but you have never had that much authority before, so you stick to the familiar.

Mr/ Ms Local Champion, rest and let it go. Sometimes, power is new, scary, and challenging, making you vulnerable to parts of yourself you don’t want to see or are unaware of. But avoidance does not mean absence; the sooner you can truthfully mark out everything you can control, the more freedom you can enjoy.

Song of the moment – Skin and Bones by David Kushner

She’s back😉 I missed you too. How did last week go? This week’s going to be better though, enjoy❤️