Power

Does permed helmet-head in a button up cardi sound like power to you?

She fit my image of a 1950s middle-aged housewife: conservative black loafers, a buttoned-up sweater, and non-descript, permed brown hair. Her name was Norma. For years she would travel with her husband over an hour each way to see me for treatment. She would primly sit her rounded body on my most comfortable office chair and quietly tell me how things were going. Her demeanor and voice seemed like a constant apology.

One day I sensed something different. There was a subtle change in the way she entered the room. She always sat fully erect but, for some indescribable reason, on this day she seemed less round and not so prim - it was as if she wasn’t folding in on herself.

This isn’t Norma, it’s me in front of my mirror. If you keep reading you’ll understand why. Also, thanks for being here!

Over a few months I watched Norma’s sense of personal power shift. There was a special ‘confidence energy’ was seeping into her. And no, this wasn’t some kind of mystical glow-up, it was as if she gradually stopped being defined by outside sources and moved into her own body.

It takes effort not to give away our worth and it’s even more of an uphill climb if we feel we have none to give away in the first place. But as we move through life, hopefully we act like Norma and realize that no one is coming along to hand us our personal power, just as no thing is going to happen that makes us feel like we’ve got it all figured out.

In my experience, we often must scramble toward, occasionally search for, and always hold tight to, the sacred essence that is our light.

In case the idea of our sacred essence seems a little too airy for you let’s bring it down a notch because, really, what can we do with that on a daily basis? Not much.

It might help to recognize that our power is our energy and what makes up our energy as we move through our day is simply our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual ability to function as fully as possible by plugging the holes that deplete us while doing more of what we find enriching. It’s the age-old equation that we all already know.

But sometimes we must begin (again) to find that sense of personal power so where do we start?

I’m going to try this simple mantra:

I know who I am.

Big words, right? You bet Baby and I’m going to make them even bigger by saying them while looking into my eyes in the mirror!

Now, in case you’re shaking your head at the silliness of this idea, imagine walking through your day knowing fully who you are. Would anything change? Can you sense a subtle shift in your energy or power at the very thought of it?

Let’s remember that when we make a declaration like this it’s amazing how the world unfolds to help us in ways we can’t currently see. (Honeybun if the idea of looking into your own eyes and saying these words scares the hell out of you then we’ve just poked the bear and something is asking you to take a look within.)

As you can imagine, Norma did not use a mantra of any kind to find herself. Her secret sauce was starting a strength training program when she had never done any exercise before. It was is like a miracle drug for her, just as it is for all of us. Imagine if we combine exercise with the mantra!

Now let’s mantra our little faces off and go set the world on the best kind of fire.

xoxo Donna

P.S. Have you ever permed your hair? I did. In the 80’s I had the long hair with a spiral perm like the rock stars.

Do you use mantras?