Women of Power
Today I was interviewed for a magazine called Women of Distinction magazine and asked thought provoking questions, such as what are my thoughts on women's empowerment?
I encourage you to think about your own thoughts on this topic, as it can be quite revealing about the place you are coming from within yourself.
Do you know what my thoughts are on this?
Let me tell you about them:
First I was a little thrown off by the mere term 'empowerment'. It struck my spine like a chord on a guitar gone wrong. What does this really even mean I thought? So I looked it up, it means this:
Empowerment: to give power or authority to; authorize, especially by legal or official means.
Just as I suspected! The term 'empowerment' implies, albeit it subtle, that power is generated or given to one by another.
This is not true power.
Do you know what this is? A competition! Who can generate the most power, who can I get power from, who will give me more power and authority? As if there is a power wheel that gets divided and dispursed to the people and damn it if all the men didn't take all of the wheel for themselves! With their strong chiseled biceps and dominating physical strength, they took it all! Now we must fight to get it back! We have to gear up and hone down our skills and come up with a plan. We have to rally together to get back the dominance of the power wheel. This could go round and round and round, hence my analogy of a power wheel. There is no end, no real beginnng, just going around and back and forth. This will surely make you dizzy. Not only that but it will get you lost.
You will lose sight of your destination because you are just stuck in the wheel.
If you want to know the truth....there it is that beautiful word, like a familar song, do you feel the resonance of that word? I'm going to say it again for you....truth. This is a powerful word. Do you know what I should have been asked in that interview? 'What are your thoughts on women's truth? What do you think the truth of women is?
All women everywhere. From the gutters in Chicago, to the jungles of Malaysia, to the temples in Japan, what is our truth as women? The universal truth. Are we second class? Second or third world? Are we last in line?
The truth is that we are powerful already.
That's right, it's been revealed, the cat is out of the bag ladies and gentlemen, the truth has been set free!
In fact, we are so powerful, we are afraid of ourselves.
You see, power is widely misunderstood. Think for a moment and reflect on what you identify with power. Is it being loud? Is it winning? Is it mighty and forceful, plowing through anyone or anything in its way like a bulldozer? Is it an acheivement, a title, an amount of money? The terms success and power often go hand in hand, there is a belief you must hold one and therefore the other.
Is power puffing yourself up so big others can't help but see you? Is it involved with fear? Whoa, think about that. Power and fear also often go hand in hand. Often people think if others are afraid of them, they hold all the power. Is power manipulative? Is it sneaky?
It could be so many things! We really have no idea at all. And it shifts from culture to culture. What is power? What is power? What is power?
The universal, true power comes from inside of you. It isn't about being loud, being big, being dominating, or any of the above. The true power of you is in your vulnerabilty. It's opening up to the power that already lies within you. That you were born with. That has been your birthright. Your power has been there all along. Like in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy goes out into this magical make-believe world in which she is seeking home. What happens? She realizes that the power to return home has been with her the whole time. She didn't need to look for the wizard, she needed to look within.
Power is home.
It is our true place of birth and it's always there...waiting for you.
True power means letting go of your fears surrounding yourself. When you can really open up and allow you to be known to you. Did you catch that? Known to yourself, not to others. True power states there is nothing to prove. There is no accomplishment to complete, no title gain, no amount of money to get, or game to win. It is a single person game. Like solitaire. Its you with yourself.
So women everywhere, if you are going to join together and if you are going to inspire others, make it a powerful endeavor. Put away your biceps and your strategic plan for taking over the world. Get in touch with your truth. Your power. And you will set us all free.
"Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise so I am changing myself."
-Rumi
