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Embracing your personal power is a transformative journey that leads to a fulfilling and purpose-driven life. But what do we mean by personal power? This week we’ll help you to understand the different types of personal power and go over some proven strategies so that you can learn how to empower yourself, using your fabulous inner strength. So get ready to unlock your true potential, increase your confidence and realise some personal goals.
Understanding What Personal Power Is
About ten years ago, we were fortunate enough to go on a week-long retreat to learn about our own personal power. From that we understood that personal power is a concept that encapsulates your ability to influence your own life and the lives of others positively. It is not about control over others, but rather the kind of mastery of the self that leads to a fulfilling and purposeful existence.
Personal power arises from a combination of self awareness, self confidence, and the ability to make choices that align with your values. In a professional setting, personal power also allows you to remain authentically you while navigating the politics of the office. Recognising what is personal power is the first step toward harnessing it effectively.
The importance of personal power cannot be overstated. It allows you to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and grace, fostering a sense of autonomy and purpose. When you possess personal power, you are more likely to set and achieve goals, maintain healthy relationships, and experience overall life satisfaction. Moreover, personal power can inspire and motivate those around you, creating a ripple effect of positive change.
The Different Types of Personal Power
To fully embrace your personal power, it’s essential to recognise the different types that exist. Social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven identified five bases of power in 1959, these are legitimate, reward, expert, referent, and coercive. They added informational power to this list a little while later. They proposed that each type offers unique benefits and can be developed through intentional practise and self reflection.
Legitimate power: is the kind of power granted by the social status and/or job title that an individual or a group has within an organisation or society. Having legitimate power is usually the result of the belief that one has the right to expect others to comply with various demands and can make reward power and coercive power possible. Building legitimate power requires climbing the ladder.
Reward power: is the power to grant various kinds of benefits or resources to others in exchange for compliance. It can come about due to the circumstances found in legitimate power, but reward power leverages the various wants and needs of others’ to ensure that compliance. Building reward power can require you to climb the ladder, or swell a pool of resources that people want and need in some other way.
Expert power: arises from your knowledge and skills in a particular area. When you are perceived as an expert, others grant power in exchange for guidance and advice, enhancing your influence and credibility. Building expert power requires continuous learning and a commitment to honing your skills.
Referent power: is derived from the respect and admiration others have for you. It is often a result of strong interpersonal skills, charisma, attractiveness and the ability to connect with others on a deep level so that they get to know, like and trust you. Developing referent power involves cultivating empathy, active listening, and fostering genuine relationships.
Coercive power: Is the ability to threaten and make good on those threats in order to punish in some way, such as reprimands, suspensions, demotions, exclusions. As with reward power, it can often come from legitimate power, and people will comply out of a desire to avoid these reprimands. Even with coercive power there are some benefits, such as parents dolling out timeouts to teach their children about boundaries. Developing this power involves leveraging your emotional intelligence in order to utilise your legitimate power with empathy and understanding. Nobody likes a bully.
Recognising these types of personal power allows you to assess which areas you excel in and which may require further development. By doing so, you can create a balanced approach to empowering yourself and others because every circumstance can present an opportunity to leverage your differing power.
Recognising Your Personal Power: Self-Assessment Techniques
Recognising your personal power is an essential step in your empowerment journey. To begin, self-assessment techniques can help you gain a clearer understanding of your strengths and areas for growth. One effective method that is relatively straight forward, is to engage in reflective journaling. This is where you regularly write about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts. This practise can provide insights into patterns of behaviour and areas where you naturally exhibit personal power.
Another self-assessment technique that is slightly more involved is seeking feedback from trusted friends, family, or colleagues. Their perspectives can offer valuable insights into how you are perceived and where your strengths lie. Constructive feedback can help you identify areas that may require further development, enabling you to focus your efforts effectively.
Finally, consider taking personality or strengths-based assessments, such as a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. Naturally, as a spiritually minded person you might be more interested in what your astrology reveals about your personality. These tools can provide a structured framework for understanding your unique qualities and how they contribute to your personal power. By combining these self-assessment techniques, you can create a comprehensive picture of your personal power and begin to harness it more effectively.
10 Magickal Strategies to Build Personal Power
Empowering yourself involves intentional strategies that foster personal growth and development. Here are ten magickal strategies to help you harness your personal power:
- Use Tarot To Develop Confidence: Confidence and self-esteem are integral components of personal power. Building these qualities requires a commitment to self improvement and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. Start with a Tarot card reading to identify your strengths. This practise reinforces a positive self-image and boosts your confidence.
- Use Journaling to Cultivate Self-Awareness: Regularly engage in journaling to understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Self-awareness allows you to recognise patterns in your behaviour, identify triggers, and understand your strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge empowers you to make conscious choices that align with your values and goals, allowing you to remain authentically you, which is the foundation of personal power.
- Visualise Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve in life and create an actionable plan to reach those goals. As a side note, you can use visualisation as magickal tool to achieve those goals. Goal achievement is a powerful way to harness your personal power. Begin by identifying what truly matters to you and align your goals with your values. This alignment ensures that your goals are meaningful and motivating, providing a sense of purpose and direction.
- Use Empathy To Develop Emotional Intelligence: Enhance your ability to understand and manage your emotions, as well as empathise with others. Emotional intelligence strengthens your interpersonal connections and communication skills. Begin by practising active listening to amplify your personal power.
- Use Meditation To Build Resilience: Use meditation in order to help handle adversity and bounce back from setbacks. Life is unpredictable, and circumstances may change so it’s important to remain flexible and adaptable. Be open to adjusting your approaches, your goals and strategies as needed, without losing sight of your ultimate objectives. Resilience unlocks new levels of personal power and is a crucial component of personal power.
- Use Tarot To Show and Plug Your Skills Gaps: When you acquire new skills or enhance existing ones, you increase your competence and self-assurance. You can use Tarot or Lenormand cards to reflect back your intuition, so that you engage in activities that challenge you. As you expand your skill set, you will naturally feel able to leverage your expert power.
- Use Meditation To Foster a Growth Mindset: A growth mindset encourages continuous improvement and is a vital component of personal power. Start by undertaking a deep meditation rooted in emotion work to reframe challenges as opportunities for growth and learning. This perspective shift fosters a positive outlook and enhances your ability to adapt, enabling you to navigate any adversity with strength and determination.
- Practise Gratitude To Surround Yourself with Positivity: Take time each day to reflect on the things you are grateful for. This simple practise can shift your focus from what’s wrong to what’s right in your life, fostering a sense of appreciation and positivity, which nurtures your personal power.
- Prioritise Self Care: Take care of your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing through regularly doing the work of meditation, tarot and journaling. Self care is essential for maintaining balance and energy. Treat yourself with kindness and understanding, particularly during setbacks or failures. Recognise that everyone makes mistakes, and these experiences are valuable opportunities for growth. Through self care, you nurture your self esteem and reinforce your personal power.
- Embrace Authenticity: Be true to yourself and live in alignment with your values. Authenticity commands respect and enhances your influence. Engage in those magickal activities and practises that align with your interests. Make connections with like minded people, and seek out opportunities for you to embrace your authentic self. By doing so you create a strong foundation for personal power.
By implementing these magickal strategies, you can empower yourself to lead a more purpose-driven life, unlocking the full potential of your personal power.
Embracing Your Personal Power for a Fulfilling Life
Embracing your personal power is a transformative journey that leads to a fulfilling and purpose-driven life. By understanding what personal power is, recognising its different types, and employing proven strategies to empower yourself, you unlock your true potential. Building confidence, setting personal goals, and cultivating self care are all vital components of this process. By embracing your authentic power, you reinforce it and create a life of meaning and impact.
References
Credit where credit is due, we aim to cite our sources because we value truthful content. 1 source was referenced during research to write this, but you are encouraged to follow our other links as well.
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