Summary

The article discusses the author's journey of losing and reclaiming personal power through self-acceptance, assertiveness, and focusing on personal growth.

Abstract

The author shares a personal narrative about the loss and recovery of personal power. They define power as an intrinsic part of oneself and describe how it was lost by prioritizing a romantic partner over their own identity, suppressing their voice, and seeking external validation. The recovery process involved setting boundaries by being assertive, accepting personal flaws, focusing on self-improvement, and allowing themselves to experience emotional lows to rebuild a stronger foundation. The author emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and personal agency in regaining control over one's life.

Opinions

The author believes that power is inherently tied to one's sense of self and personal identity.
They express that making someone else the center of your world can lead to a loss of self and power.
Silencing one's own voice in the face of disagreement or criticism is seen as a surrender of personal power.
The author advocates for assertiveness as a means to protect oneself from negativity and maintain personal boundaries.
Accepting one's flaws is viewed as an empowering act that can disarm critics and strengthen self-acceptance.
The author suggests that focusing on oneself and finding joy internally is crucial for true happiness, rather than relying on others for validation.
Hitting rock bottom is presented as a necessary step for some to acknowledge their mistakes and rebuild their life on a firmer foundation.

This Is How I Reclaim My Power

I may have lost my power, but I know how to get it back.

What does it mean when you take your power back? What does “power” mean to you? You may have a different meaning of what power is, but for me, power is something that you already have which is yourself. Taking your power back is taking yourself back to your ground.

I’ve come a long way to get where I am right now. It didn’t happen overnight, and it was not easy to get here. I was lost in a broken road for a long time until I regained my power as a woman. I want to share how I got my power back, and I hope you will learn from it.

Here are some situations in my life when I let my power slip away:

1. When I made someone my whole world. We all have been in love at least once in our lives. We all feel so weak when we see the person we love. Our hearts race when they touch us and when they talk to us. I was madly in love with this person that I made him my whole world. I wanted to do activities with him every day, making him my world to the point where I lost myself completely. I forgot that I have a life too, and I have friends and family to visit and spend my time with. I lost my power, myself, when I made someone my whole world.

2. I silenced my voice when I needed to say something. Many times, I agreed on anything, even though I didn’t want to agree with them. There were times when someone was pointing fingers at me, and I just couldn’t let my thoughts out and chose to be silent because I didn’t want them to get angrier. I let it happen and lost my power.

Here’s how I reclaimed my power:

I stopped pleasing people

I stopped saying “YES” too much. When somebody says something that I am not comfortable with, I would adequately tell them. We do not have to be rude when we disagree on things. Being assertive is the key. You will never go wrong with being assertive. Telling people politely what they need to hear is probably the best thing you can do. You do not have to accept everything that people offer you. You don’t have to please them to accept you. At first, I thought people would think that it is rude when you express yourself, but being assertive also protects you from negativity. You don’t have to agree on everything that people will ask you to agree on. When you stop pleasing people, that is when you regain your power.

I slowly accepted the person I am.

There is power when you accept your flaws. Your imperfect self is unique in this world. If you feel you have lost control and become weak because somebody criticizes you, listen to them and tell them they are right. Why? Because that is your power to take criticism. That is what the critics want, to get the validation of what they criticized and when you give that validation, in short, when you accept their critics, they will shut up.

I’ve accepted that I have a weird accent and chubby cheeks and not everyone would like me. Those are things that I cannot change even though I’ve tried, but the only thing I could do was accept the flaws I have. I may have a weird accent when I speak, but no other voice sounds like me. I may have chubby cheeks, but no one can take the beauty inside me. Life is not about having a perfect face, but it’s what's inside you. Not everyone will like me, and that is okay. It is not someone’s job to like me; it’s my job to like me. I have the power to accept the critics and reflect on them.

I focused on myself

There were times when I made people my whole world. I depended on my happiness in their presence. I was needy and nagging them to give me the validation and attention I wanted because those were things I couldn’t give myself until I realized how empty I was. I was unaware that I was taken over and had no power over myself.

You must focus on yourself to reclaim your power when you lose yourself in someone. Take yourself back. Focus on bettering yourself. Find joy in yourself, and that is how you build yourself up. You don’t need anyone to make you happy when you have yourself. You’re not going to make anyone your whole world.

I Let Myself Fall To Fix My Ground

When I was at the lowest point of my life, I let myself sink until I reached rock bottom. All I did was cry over my problems and stresses. I let my frustrations out of my chest. I saw what I’ve done, and I acknowledged my mistakes and learned from them.

Sometimes you have to let yourself sink until you reach rock bottom to fix your ground. You will see your mistakes, and when you’re ready, you can go back up and show yourself to the world.

Overall, it wasn’t easy to get me back on my ground. If you have lost yourself in the process, I need you to know that you are not alone. You may lose your power sometimes, but you can go back in.

From Diana’s Monday prompt: In what situations have you let your power slip away? How can you reclaim that power?