The Key to Living in Your Own Power
Reacting to other people is oftentimes a reflex action, swift and ill-considered, but by using discernment — which is the faculty of allowing a keen perception and assessment of what is happening to and around us — that reflex action can slow down… If we grow more aware of what we are doing and what our intention is… If we become more aware of what we are saying to people… If we really understand what it is that we are feeling.
For with that awareness, we are living from a place of inner power.
By being willing to observe ourselves and our motivations, we stay open to what is really going on inside our mind and heart. This helps us discern what has value and what does not and which direction to take next, figuratively or practically.
It is critical to our health and well-being to know our own state of mind and to alter it if we are creating something negative.
Very often our reaction to people has nothing to do with them and everything to do with something from our past that we have not examined. Think of events that have occurred for you over the last week — how you felt, what you did, what others did. Is there any event you feel you could have managed more easily if you had not held or expressed a reflex reaction?
In difficult times, we can be inclined to let go of our trust in what is true and our power to create favorable outcomes. That is when stress, anxiety, anguish, and heart pain begin to enter in and affect us.
Using discernment helps us retrieve the inner power and the trust in ourselves that we have given away by reacting too quickly.
None of this means we are not supposed to feel emotions. It just suggests that when we feel them, we can be aware of what we are feeling and decide how to respond one way or another. We make the assessment of what we feel into something conscious, not unconscious.
And to be conscious about what we do, what we think, what we say, and what we feel is freedom. This is what allows us to thrive.
Regina Clarke is a writer of mystery, fantasy, and science fiction. She has lived on all three coasts and in England, but has found her true home in the ancient landscape of the Hudson River Valley. The Shawangunk Mountains she can see as she writes are part of the Appalachians, the oldest on earth. She’s on Twitter @ReginaClarke1 and is the author of Voices from the Old Earth, Guardians of the Field, and MARI. Her website blog frequently explores the ideas of hope and inspiration.
- Become a Medium member to support Regina’s stories and have access to more articles by other writers on subjects you care about
