Here’s How to Stop Giving Your Power Away - Part One
It’s so easy to feel defeated when we inadvertently give our power away! The turnaround can be quick, however, once we know how to shift.
Here’s a real life example of a client who reclaimed her power after a frustrating experience.
My client–we’ll call her Lori– came to her session pissed off at a level 10.
The day before, she had taken a personal day from work at a relatively large organization that employs many people. When she arrived at work the following morning, she was met by angry co-workers. “Where were you yesterday?” “You picked a fine day to take off,” and “You left us in the lurch!”
Apparently an incident happened that only she was equipped to deal with.
When she came to her session with me, her words were, “Why am I not allowed to take a day off? Everyone but me seems to be able to take a personal day. Taking the day off wasn’t worth it given how much of a mess it made.”
In my world as a coach, it wasn't difficult to notice the language of the Victim. You know, the part of ourselves that gets activated when you start thinking, “I’m not allowed.” I’m not allowed to take a day off, I’m not allowed space for myself, I’m not allowed to not have to think for everyone else.”
What if someone in Victim mode paused for a moment to tap into their inner Warrior, shifting their mindset and reclaiming their power?
Archetypal warriors don’t fight or act aggressively—they set boundaries. They say, “Stop. I won’t let this continue.” The inner dialogue shifts from “I’m not allowed,” to, “I won’t allow this.”
When I asked her to try on the Warrior, and what the Warrior would not allow, she paused and said, “I am entitled to take a day off.” And with more prompting, her thinking became, “Wait, am I the only adult in this organization? Were there no other competent professionals that could have done some problem-solving? My supervisor was here yesterday and could have gotten involved. Why didn’t that happen?”
Now she’s coming into her power. She started to have boundaries around the erroneous belief that the organization would somehow come crashing down if she weren’t there. She was not to blame. Others could have stepped up, and should have.
Where in your life could you shift from Victim to Warrior? How would that simple shift connect you more deeply to your power?
Stay tuned for Part Two of Lori’s inspiring journey with the Victim archetype!
