Wednesday, January 11, 2023
There is a big difference between power and force. Force is the application of resistance and is energy-depleting. But we unknowingly apply force to things that don’t need it, like being stuck in traffic – gritting your teeth, clenching your fists, tapping your foot, etc. How is the application of force going to help you in something that you cannot control? It doesn’t, it just wears you out.
When you think you’ve got to “work hard,” or you have to “pull yourself together” that implies tension, a force against something. But real power is not a force, it’s a form of acceptance, a release and a trust. Power is an ease. It’s a focus, alert and calm. That’s what it means to “put your mind to something.” Setting your mind to something is an action, without anguish. Power attracts a kind of ease that conserves energy, and waits calmly for the moment of action to arise. In between activities, it is dormant.
The key is to compartmentalize. Streamline energy. Conserve effort. Don’t start your day and deplete your energy by stewing about your entire day; being frantic about every detail. Try to catch yourself wasting energy like that. Apply energy only when it’s necessary. It’s totally fine to have a full agenda, but it’s not wise to keep that entire agenda floating in your brain all day. It’s not a good use of resources to fear that you’ll forget a detail, or miss an appointment, or be late, etc. You can take care of that in the planning stage. Then you can be done. Power is learning to trust in yourself to plan thoughtfully, then putting it away until it’s time to deal with it. Your mind doesn’t need to apply all of that juggling, stewing, and ruminating. You might be wasting energy being “overworked.”