Don’t Fear Your Power

Dear Friends,

Today’s Fearless food for thought is inspired by my new sister-in-law, who saw this quote on a T-shirt whilst on honeymoon and shared it with me.

You see, we don’t trust our power. We don’t trust the unique desires, abilities, gifts and expression that we each have, that make us who we are and allow us create the life that we would love. We fear that expressing our greatness in the world will lead us to be shunned or attacked. Unconsciously we worry that we will lose something that we currently have if we rise into our true power:

…That we will lose our identity - how we think of ourselves, “how we have always been”, how we know the world to be.

…That we will lose our friends or family – that being in power and having the wonderful experiences we want will somehow distance us from those we love.

…That we will be shunned or ostracised by our family, friends, community –  because putting our hearts first will not be accepted.

…Or worse….that we will hurt or disrespect those whom we love if we step above and beyond how they live – sometimes even the memory of how much our parents or grandparents had is enough to make us put unconscious limits on how much wealth, love, expression, ease or wellbeing we allow ourselves to have.

…And of course….we fear that we will be will physically or emotionally attacked if we express ourselves fully.

Even if we are currently dissatisfied or unhappy, conscious that we want more and know that we are capable of living a much greater life, unconsciously these fears are enough to place a hold on moving forward to what we would love. And so we often find ourselves stuck, or in repeating loops, or trying to figure out why something didn’t work out. And all the while, it is our hidden Fear saying, “Don’t be powerful. Don’t trust your power. The danger is real. Don’t move on to be greater. Be as you have known it to be. Stay in the status quo,”

Knowing the unconscious fears that play out for us and bringing these into conscious awareness is the most powerful first step we can take to understand what is really holding us back. But the greatest gift is in knowing our heart, our true gifts and desires and expression - distinct from our fear identity (the way we have learnt to be in the world to adapt and stay safe).

When we operate from Fear (conscious or unconscious), our entire objective is to hold ourselves back, to hide our power and limit our abundance, to stay within the bounds of what we consider safe - whether we realise it or not. And we constantly scan the external environment to confirm that we have sufficient approval, safety, love, guarantees, agreement… before we will allow ourselves to step forward and step up into our true capabilities and desires.

And, because we are in fact scanning for danger and reasons not to proceed into our power, needless to say, that is what we find! When we come from our Fear orientation, we can always say,

“See, I knew it! I knew I couldn’t trust myself/ others/ the system/ destiny....”

“This is the way it always is…”

“How dare they!...”

“I knew I shouldn’t have tried!...”

“I knew it wouldn’t work out!...”

Our strongest source of power is our desire to share our gifts and expression with the world, in other words, our desire to create something that reflects our heart, our true nature and purpose. When we acknowledge our fears but put our focus on what we would love to create, it shifts our orientation into one of endless possibility and resourcefulness.

Power simply says, “I have it in me.”

 “I have the capability, intelligence, resources, to create what I would love.”

“I know my heart, and I respect the heart and wishes of others.”

“I always have a choice. So do others.”

“There are no guarantees. But I choose it anyway.”

“Let me look for ways to make it work.”

“There is no set way it has to be, I can be as creative as I like.”

The only reason we fear our power is because we are afraid it will take us into danger. But the only thing that frees us from Fear and truly keeps us safe, secure, and thriving….is our Power.

Here’s wishing you the freedom to rise into your Power, and truly create the life you dream of – without fear.