Generally what we call “power” is really “force” and it is based in fear and separation, you know, the old paradigm of “survival of the fittest”. It is based in scarcity mentality and competition. Now really, doesn’t this sound rooted in fear? — Fear that one cannot be, do or have what they really want so he or she has to go and “make it happen” and swim with the “sharks” — Sounds like “hard work” for sure! Life does not have to be “hard”; we can have success with more ease when we break out of this way of seeing life. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t want this kind of “power” either. I suppose if one’s life is truly at risk, the survival instinct does help, yet this is not the case in our everyday life, truth be told. Actually our “survival instinct” is playing a role in how we are defining power though it comes from not understanding with awareness how our brain and nervous system is running us and how we have been conditioned to see the world this way. This is one reason why change and personal growth is so challenging. When we do not understand how we have programmed our own brain and mind, it is so easy for our brain to hijack us and take us down the path to fear and survival. True personal power can unfold and develop as we learn how to “retrain our brain” and stop just looking for a bag of “how to” tricks. We can learn lots of new marketing, networking and “change your life” information programs, yet at the end of the day, if you don’t understand how most of what is running your life is out of your awareness and how to engage your brain at a level of conscious choice, it if highly unlikely that you we be able to apply the new information and behaviors. So, for a more integrated, sustainable way to grow and change, you will have to apply the steps to get to your Core Source of personal power — from inside out. Some tangible steps to making the journey is an acronym I have used in my own journey — C.O.R.E. — Courage, Open Mind, Reflection and Enthusiasm (root words of enthusiasm means, “God/Spirit Within” by the way). There can be other reasons that personal growth and change is so hard, and here are 3 significant ones for now: 1. Your brain has been wired to fear change — Our brain is not the enemy, we have just set it up to keep us constricted instead of embracing growth. Our ego, or “Mental Me” is a mental construct of the mind that is important, yet can hold us back if we are not aware. It is useful for “conscious self-identity” (our human sense of self), survival instinct and creating personal boundaries. Yet, if one is not aware of the difference between “ego self” and one’s deeper Authentic “True” Self, the ego self, with all of it’s tendencies to judge others, fear life and feel separated will keep you playing small and “safe” at all costs — even if it ironically means self-destruction. The ego carries our “personality wounds”. 2. We don’t understand how the brain creates perception — So, you think you know “the way life is”? Actually, science is finally showing how we assign the meaning to what happens in our lives, creating our own “reality” — it is subjective. As Einstein said, “Reality is an illusion; albeit a very persistent one”. It is persistent because once we wire our nervous system with a belief, which always by the way contains an element of emotion, not just “thoughts”, we form a perception that will limit us from seeing outside of our “box” until we understand how to deal with our feelings and power of attention. Awareness is truly powerful. 3. We have lost touch with our Authentic Self — Change is really difficult when we try to “think” our way out of it. We can’t own our True Personal Power until we realize how to reconnect with our authentic heart and spirit. Most people have lost this authentic self by believing an old paradigm about who we are, should be or what we should do — to please everybody else in order to be loved. Most of what we are taught to believe is backwards, truth be told. We are more than “just human”; we are Spirit, Mind, Emotion and Body. Here in the western world, we have been too far out in our “left-brain logic” without integrating the “right-brain spirit” — we’ve left out intuition, heart and connection to life. Lots of research is now showing just how important and powerful the right brain is in our life. Without this piece we are disconnected and not whole, trying to run our lives only in our heads. We need to reintegrate our mind with our heart for true personal power. As Einstein also said, “you can’t solve a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it”. No, you need intuitive insight for innovation — not the same old “logic”. Logic can help implement the new insight, but it is not creative. So, when you learn how to engage your brain in the process and how to “make friends with change and emotions” as I like to say, you can begin to let your inner personal power shine through and live with more purpose, peace and true personal power. Confidence and self-acceptance from this space is truly personal growth and not just a quick fix band-aid approach that falls down when life shows up on Monday morning after the weekend motivational seminar ends. You need both — inspiration and practical fresh innovative ways to practically apply change by understanding the role your brain and nervous system plays in creating your “reality”.