Power is a controversial subject, don’t you think? It means different things to different people.
Some spend most of their lives trying to increase their “power” – as if by having power over others, it will increase their own value. Maybe this helps them increase their feelings of self-worth.
In this sense, power is associated with authority and status, often coupled with money.
Dr. Athena Staik, on the Neuroscience and Relationships blog, states that how we view POWER is what forms our core belief system. As a result, it influences all aspects of relationships with others.
Can perception of power be changed?
Well, your personal power can certainly be changed. It is all around making choices, and we do that in every moment of our lives. We choose what to say, and what to do next, and even how to respond.
How can that be, you may ask. I don’t actually choose how to respond – it is automatic.
But that is not true – you have chosen to have certain beliefs about yourself that have become so ingrained, that over time you have become consistent in how you respond to events in your life.
If you want to try an experiment, try to pause before you reply or respond to life’s events and ask yourself if what you are about to say or do is something that will serve you.
You may find that the answer is “no.”
If you practice this kind of mindfulness, of deliberation, you may also find that you can begin to modify your response, and your world will start to transform around you.
There is actual brain chemistry that is involved with these responses, as Dr. Staik points out – if you choose to be calm, your body stays in balance and your brain will stay in what she calls “learning mode,” allowing you to create a whole new response.
When you get defensive, the fight or flight chemistry kicks end and you enter a protective mode that keeps you locked into existing behavior which may or may not be helpful.
