Dictionaries:
The broad definition of Power is the ability to act or produce an effect. It is the capacity to influence or control the course of events.
Power can be derived from many different sources, including physical strength, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, wealth, political authority, and personal charisma. It can also be expressed in many different positive or negative ways such as through the use of Effectiveness, Mastery, Creation or force, coercion, persuasion, or manipulation. Power is often seen as a relative concept, and can be understood as the ability of one person or group to exert influence or control over the course of events.
Most people confuse Power with Influence or Authority or just “Power” over other humans. This is myopic. Power is a broader concept that is your total capacity to act. Your balance sheet of capacities to act. Your ability to affect your life (presumably positively). Power is something all humans strive for.
I define Power as a state of existence emerging from one's total capacity to act and achieve their intention despite resistance & setbacks, or, to not act at all.
This intention could be to move across the globe or travel forever. To move a large boulder with just your muscles. To create a groundbreaking technology. To veto a bill. To educate your children. To drive an automobile. Or, as it’s more commonly referred to, to control and influence a situation or group of individuals. There is no specific domain for my definition of Power, it applies in all domains.
Effectiveness, the ability to produce your intended or desired result - consistently, is the root of Power. But Power has something else implicit in it, Freedom. A powerful individual has accumulated enough forms of Power to have the Freedom to act or to not act. They have freedom of choice from the state of Power that they have. Power gives you Freedom.
Power is the control of circumstances, the ability to change your environment to suit you, the ability to act independently from others in the direction of your own dreams, the capacity to be effective in what you want to act on, the ability and capacity to say no. Power is the potential to control, act upon, change something, and produce your intended result. It is the Freedom to control something or not based on your prerogative.
Power is a property of individuals and of groups. In fact, everything is powerful to the extent that everything has an effect on everything else, no matter how imperceptible this effect might be. This means, there are infinite possible forms of Power.
With the acknowledgement there are infinite forms of Power, we still must admit there are some “nodes” or ‘common concentrations’ of power these include but are not limited to: capability (clarity + skills + knowledge + effectiveness + mastery), money, reputation, influence, authority, resources, assets, property, physical strength, natural talents, your environment, your citizenship, your nation, etc.
Power is the state to act or not act with Freedom and it comes from the totality of all the forms of Power you possess. It is all of this stuff, it is all encompassing, it is your total ability to affect reality.
Power is the relative ability to determine your fate and that is why people desire it.
Spirituality gives you a grounding to act in the world. What Spirituality means to me.
Health is the most fundamental asset you leverage for Power. What Health means to me.
Wisdom tells you what is truly Powerful and what is not. What Wisdom means to me.
Love of something gives you the stamina to reach Power. What Love means to me.
Adhering to your principles, aka discipline, you have to have some principles to guide you. What Integrity means to me.
If you are Powerful without being Effective, you are a target. What Effectiveness means to me.
Clarity + skills + knowledge + effectiveness + mastery.
Power is easier to attain with Mastery, then you make yourself irreplaceable. What Mastery means to me.
You have to have a reputation to exact Power in a social system.
From your capabilities, reputation, and resources/assets people will decide to listen to you or not.
Engaging in anything that diminishes your Power on any level.
Power isn't always necessarily earned/deserved. You can be someone who inherited a powerful position with no merit and causes disasters because you aren’t prepared. Think Saddam Hussein’s sons, trust funders, oligarch’s children, etc. You can stumble upon Power for any number of reasons. Though unearned Power is often focused on because it is “unfair” this Power does not typically last long, it is unsustainable. Power without Effectiveness is a balloon waiting to pop. Therefore, it cannot be considered true Power.
If someone valued Power, it would mean that they prioritize the ability to influence or control the course of events in their life. Someone who values Power might be very focused on gaining and maintaining Power over their life. They might be highly ambitious, and be willing to take risks or make sacrifices in order to achieve Power. Valuing Power could also involve being strategic in one's actions. In general, valuing Power would mean making the pursuit of Power and influence a priority in one's life.
Remember there are infinite forms of Power. So find your unique forms.
I commit to expand my Power to the level proportional to what I deserve.
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