You are changing the world, just by existing. You are worthy of everything you’ve ever wanted. And it’s a heck of a lot easier to figure that out now than to spend your life striving after the illusions.
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Last night, I finished House of Cards Season 3. (Yes, that’s the one that came out on Friday, okay?!) And, unsurprisingly, it got me thinking about power.
These people are ruthless. They’ll lie, cheat, murder, kill. Do anything they can. Just to have power. Or, at least, perceived power. Because it makes them feel important. It makes them feel impressive. It makes them feel like they matter.
But the irony of it all is that, at the height of their rein, they feel arguably the least powerful of all. Because every one of their moves is scrutinized. Because everyone is directly invested in their decisions. And because power isn’t power, after all.
As I watched the characters each rise to the top of the political food chain, only to feel just as unfulfilled as ever, I started thinking about my own life. My own “theres”. Maybe it’s not presidency. But we all have this underlying belief that once we reach a certain place, a certain accomplishment, a certain “there,” we’ll be transformed into the people we’re meant to be. We’ll be rewarded with happiness and confidence and money and love.
This very myth is woven into the fabric of our society. It’s so widely accept that we don’t even question it. If we accomplish enough goals, we’ll earn our happiness.
We’re told over and over again that we live in a limited resource world. Where money, happiness, love, success, fame, and power are scarce. Where we have to compete for whatever scraps we can get. Where ruthless competition runs rampant.
Push forward. Bust through blocks. Persist. Achieve. Accomplish. Do.
Even the motivational and self-help worlds reinforce this hyper-aggressive outlook on life. That it’s “eat or be eaten.” That it’s a rat race to achieve everything in the world just to be good enough—at a young age, no less. The younger you are, the more “impressive” you seem.
So we strive forward. And maybe we aren’t murdering people, but we’re definitely killing off something. Our authenticity, our happiness, our free time, our relaxation. Because we assume that we have to work our asses off just to make it. That entrepreneurs shouldn’t take breaks. That building a company incredibly fast is the best approach. That being able to say, “I made six figures in my first six months of business” is the ultimate goal. After all, everyone else seems after it. Shouldn’t we?
But real power has nothing to do with achieving. It has nothing to do with status. In fact, it has nothing to do with anything outside of you at all. Real power is about having the courage to be yourself. Totally and 100% yours. After all, you only have true power over yourself, anyway.
And that type of radical self-acceptance—hell, that’s freedom. That’s freedom to live every day the way you want. That’s freedom to make money for just being yourself. That’s freedom to be loved, honored, seen for who you are, not the money or status you boast. That’s freedom to live the life you were born to live.
The rest of the stuff—the manipulation, the control, the ego-boosting fame—it’s all kind of fluff. It’s just a distraction. An illusion. None of it’s real. But it sure does a good job at making us chase the elusive mirage out there, rather than look for the truth inside.
The only real power we have is to be ourselves. And that’s the most powerful kind anyway.
The truth behind it all is you are the treasure you’ve been seeking. You’re the very thing you’ve been striving for the whole time. Working long hours. Trying to make big money. Trying to be famous or successful or whatever other ego-gratifying word you like.
At the end of the day, all you’ve ever wanted is to accept yourself and have people love you for that. And it’s always been right under your nose.
Remember what matters to you. Remember that you matter. Remember that just being alive—just being where you are—makes you inherently worthy. Every day, you touch the lives of dozens of people without even realizing it. When you speak, when you write, when you smile at a stranger in the street.
You are changing the world, just by existing. You are worthy of everything you’ve ever wanted. And it’s a heck of a lot easier to figure that out now than to spend your life striving after the illusions.
See, the thing about that type of power is that no one can ever touch it. No one can ever compete for it or take it from you. Because you’re the only one who could ever have it. It’s the power of being you.
This post originally appeared at Boston Wellness Coach. Reprinted with permission.
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Photo: 7dos/Flickr