Balancing your own power when empowering others
When you have a strong sense of power and stand tall in your energy and vitality, and simultaneously want to encourage that same energy, directness, and responsiveness in others, it can be difficult not to assert that same power over others.
When we do that, it can both be harmful and overwhelming. Even when it comes from a place of love and care, we can overdo our greatest personal strengths and not to the benefit of others.
(Understand the power of your blind Enneagram type)
To empower others is to instill the strength and courage to walk a path that might be difficult, strenuous, and with many obstacles. It is about identifying these difficulties and then walking the path anyway. It is about setting off and starting to move in the path and also finding and walking the path at the same time.
Sometimes we sense what could be the right path for others to walk, but it is important for others to find their way in life. We can not walk their path, but in our eagerness to help and support, we can engage with too much effort and directedness.
You have to find the balance between on one side love, courage and empowerment and on the other side your dominating energy, control and assertiveness.
Your weekly question
Here are some suggestions for practicing the art of empowering others without over-asserting your personal power.
- Write down a list of things you would like to empower others to do or be capable of. Don’t show the list to anyone, and don’t practice expressing it. Instead, practice formulating it by writing it down. Remember that it is about balancing your own personal power while empowering others. While writing your list, also write the benefit for others to receive your empowerment and understand if you are doing it for their or your own sake.
- Find a practice partner with whom you can experiment with your empowerment. Your practice partner should not receive your empowerment but only listen to and witness the verbalization of your clear expression. Your practice partner will only give you feedback about how it feels for them to receive the empowerment.
- Catch yourself wanting to push too much or doing it for your sake and not for the receiver of your empowerment. The practice is only to catch yourself overdoing your assertive and forceful energy and then journal about it before going to bed for the night. The purpose of this practice is to direct your attention to when you overdo your energy and power.
Your weekly quote
When empowering others we need to find our own power-button to gently adjust our energy and vitality.
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