From a young age, I’ve had an interesting relationship with power. Many people note social status and socioeconomic success as markers of power. While that can be powerful to the ego, authentic power lies much deeper within each of us.
For me, my power lies within my sensitivity. I define sensitivity as emotional intelligence and the ability to empathize. I grew up suppressing my sensitivity because I was socially constructed to judge it as weakness. One of the most sensitive role models for me growing up was my father. He had earned the symbols of power, but he was a sensitive man who led with his heart. If I asked people to use adjectives to describe him, weak would not be one of them.
Power is something that defines the essence of who we are and it’s important to connect to that internal strength. My power enables me to observe and recognize traits in people that often go unnoticed. My power encourages me to listen and observe. My power allows me to play songs by ear on the piano. My power helps me analyze the energy of a room and to adapt to any social situation. My power allows me to observe the environmental degradation and transform the earth’s suffering into meaningful action. My power inspires me to recognize that while we’re all different, we’re more similar than we imagine.
So while I’ve been blessed with social markers of power, I encourage everyone to take a step away from ego and ask yourself what power means to you. For me, my power is starting to take flight and will transcend our conditioned mindset to help heal our planet.
Originally published at medium.com