"I wonder if fears really go away,
or if they just lose their power over us."
-- Veronica Roth
Another quote by Audre Lorde shares a similar thought: "When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."
Does fear ever go away completely? How could it? It is part of the duality of the lives that we live. It is always there. Of course, it is the same with freedom at the other end of the emotional scale. When I am depressed and feeling powerless, fearful, and in despair, does joy, love, empowerment, and appreciation go away? No. They are all still where they were.
So what changes then? It is one word: focus. What I am giving my attention to, my energy to, what I am focusing on. As well, this applies to all those differing levels of emotion in between the top and bottom. We are somewhere on that scale at all times, perhaps even changing positions quite frequently, but they all remain in their good and not so good feeling places, available to us any time we choose to change our attention.
As Audre Lorde said so well, as I focus on my strength and accept my power rather than giving it away in fear, it doesn't even matter that fear is on the same scale. It is insignificant as I focus on what feels empowering.
Have you ever thought how often you might give your power away? What is it to give our power away? We give our power away when we allow others outside of ourselves to convince us of a different reality than we desire, and in our lack of knowledge, self-worthiness, or any number of other similar factors, we feel powerlessness, and perhaps even escape into depression or despair--or maybe even not that far down the scale to the bottom--it might be worry, or anger, or overwhelment.
It could have come from a doctor's diagnosis, a lawyer, a bill collector, government official, or any other so-called authority. In all cases though, we are giving away our own power, and accepting theirs over us.
I believe that we have the ultimate authority within us and that by going within, coming into alignment with our internal Source of all Life, we can reclaim our own power.
I'll end this post with a slightly different perspective on not giving our power away, and is one of the most powerfully stated and empowering quotes I've ever read by Marianne Williamson, from her ground-breaking book, A Return To Love, which I've taken the liberty of presenting in this way:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
"Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others."
I Am As Powerful As I Allow My Alignment With The Ultimate Power Within.
Spread Some Joy Today--by rejoicing in your own power of focus.
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