The Breathing Prosperity blog

Most of us have so much more personal power than we realize it’s staggering. If we could really, objectively see how much power we give away to other people, to outside situations and to our emotions and habits, we’d probably be sick at the thought of the opportunities and time we have wasted in our lifetimes. Read on for the most dramatic demonstration of this I’ve ever seen, and let it change your life…

If you’ve ever read Viktor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ you’ll know that power of which I speak, but I’ll bet even then you have not explored this topic as deeply as possible, and thus not reaped the huge benefits. You may have read Stephen Covey’s ’7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ and come across the same concept. These are both excellent books which changed my life and are highly recommended. Covey’s book in particular is so thoughtful and well, effective, that it should be read by anyone looking for improvement in their lives and wanting to create a successful, satisfying life.

This power I speak of is such a fundamental part of being human, it’s quite ironic that we rarely use it and instead live as if we didn’t even own it. It makes us unique in the animal kingdom, putting in our hands the power to literally affect our personal destiny, and only a select few of us even acknowledge it exists in us, not to speak of developing and using it to our advantage.

As alluded to above, I recently watched a program which exploded my impression of what is possible, and made me think twice about my own use (or lack thereof) of this power. The show was about a man so proficient and disciplined in martial arts that he had trained himself not to blink when attacked with a sword. The sparring sessions they showed were extremely fast and complex, and it had taken years for this man to develop the skill, of course. Many people have attempted to beat him at his game, as he has become famous among martial arts circles for his talent.

Can you imagine the personal control and intent necessary to not blink when lunged at with force and speed, with a sharp sword? This  serves to demonstrate my point in a very dramatic way: we have the ability to retain exquisite control over our reactions. No matter what happens to you in every day life, it’s unlikely it’s either as fast or as dangerous as sparring with swords. People and circumstances may come at you in unexpected ways and life may surprise you at every turn, but you ALWAYS have control over your own reaction to it.

Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist and neurologist who had the experience of being a prisoner at a Nazi death camp during WWII. He was a keen observer of humanity, and his aforementioned book has touched the hearts and lives of millions of people. He has even said that part of his imperative to survive was to share what he learned. He was a living demonstration of the power he wrote about; our power to respond in any way we choose to whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.  Throughout this devastating experience, Victor noted that not everyone handled their potential fate in the same way. Frankl noted time and again that the prisoners who gave up hope in the camp were those who ended up dying; either they slowly starved to death or they gave off such a weak vibe that they were chosen to go to the gas chambers. He spent countless hours moving among the terrified, desolate prisoners and offering encouragement and trying to keep hopes up. He observed that those who felt they had a reason to live, who hung on tightly to the hope or faith that they would survive, were almost invariably the ones who did so.

You could say that the Law of Attraction was at play here, in that people who held unwavering faith in their own survival found a way to hang on, while those who focused on hopelessness and death created that experience. While there were many who had no choice and immediately perished, we are talking about those who made psychological choices during their internment; who chose to hang on and have faith or to give up hope and die. Such a dramatic example serves again to demonstrate our incredible power to choose our reactions, and the fundamental difference this can make to our outcomes in life.

In lesser or more common situations, those we deal with in ‘every day’ life, we can exercise this power and change our destinies to whatever we choose. One of my favorite mentors, Wayne Dyer, tells us to treat ourselves as the person we would like to become. You can imagine your ideal self and think about how that person might react in certain situations. If you are pursuing financial wealth, for instance, your ideal self may be in the habit of making certain choices with your money; you always invest it for positive return instead of spending it on things which will decline in value. This may mean a change in your habits (shopping) and reactions (shopping when depressed) and will lead you to the destiny you choose.

We can make conscious choices ahead of time as to how we will react in certain situations which normally trigger us, and improve our relationships and social interactions. We don’t ‘have to’ eat when we’re upset, and we don’t ‘have to’ get angry when our ex says something mean or degrading. We can train ourselves out of shyness, out of anger and into belief in ourselves. We can provide ourselves with mantras to repeat when we need them, and choose our reactions and responses. We can choose to be flexible and to bounce when things get rough, and to look for lessons and benefits instead of seeing difficulty and falling into victim-hood.

There are far fewer limits in life than we know, and with practice and forethought, we can almsot literally make our lives to order. Take back your personal power and explore it to expand it. Be aware, and grow and choose. It’s your destiny, so don’t leave it on autopilot!

Related Post: Personal Development: Flexibility and Intent

Tags: creating wealth, man's search for meaning, personal power, power of choice, power to react, sparring, stephen covey, success secrets, tips for personal success, train not to blink