Confession, not long ago, I was a person who gave my power away daily. It wasn\u2019t intentional, or because I wasn\u2019t confident, or thought that I didn\u2019t deserve to be powerful or because I believed men were the dominant sex. It was a subtle and continuous leak of my power that started with little habits of behavior that undermined my power. Thankfully for me, I had women friends who spoke up and pointed out the little ways I was devaluing myself. As I became aware of these behaviors, I began to break the habits, so I could become the powerful woman I was created to be.<\/p>\n

Now that I am on the other side, I observe many women doing the same subtle devaluing habits that I once did. Today, I would like to be that friend who speaks up for you, so that you can stop letting your power slowly leak away. Take a moment to consider each behavior. You may not do all of them or you may not even be aware right now that you are doing any of them. However, over the course of this week, make a conscious effort to observe yourself. Change can only occur through awareness.<\/p>\n

The 3 Habits That Steal Your Power<\/p>\n

Stop saying \u201cI\u2019m sorry\u201d! By and large, I hear women overuse the word sorry. Webster\u2019s defines sorry as: \u201cfeeling sorrow, regret or penitence, mournful, sad, inspiring sorrow, pity, scorn or ridicule.\u201d Now if you are using the word sorry as per the definition, it is perfectly acceptable and there is no loss of power. However, as women, we use the word sorry unknowingly as a statement of unworthiness and as an apology for ourselves. Someone doesn\u2019t agree with us, so we are sorry. We are sorry when we are maneuvering through a crowded store. Sorry dinner isn\u2019t ready; sorry the kids are misbehaving; sorry I am upset; sorry I have a headache; sorry I am crying; sorry I can\u2019t volunteer at the school; sorry I can\u2019t be everything to everybody! It is a little word but oh how it devalues when used out of context. <\/p>\n

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Silence no more! Many women may have picked this habit up as a little girl. We are taught to act like a lady, watch our mouth, and to be nice! It is ok if you don\u2019t have the gift of gab. However, when you know you should speak up and you don\u2019t, that is when silence becomes the thief of your power. Women keep their mouths shut for many reasons; to avoid conflict, so as not to hurt feelings, to be nice, to hide their feelings, to not be labeled a bitch, because their men should know what they want, etc.\u2026 Not using your voice makes you at the effect of everyone around you. Your life runs around everyone else\u2019s therefore, devaluing your worth. Speak up when you don\u2019t agree with someone, be honest about your friend\u2019s new hairstyle, be authentic instead of nice, and tell you’re significant other what you want and need. That alone will save both of you much grief. Lastly, maintaining your power sometimes requires you to be a bitch. Just be a wise one and choose your battles well. Speak up to power up!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lastly, stop complaining! Women are notorious for sitting abound complaining(gossiping) about their significant other, jobs, coworkers, family, kids, friends, and whatever else comes to mind. Complaining is such a power sucker. When you complain you remain! Complaining keeps you in the same pattern of behavior that is getting the same results that you are complaining about. Your power is given away to the complaint. This was a huge awe ha moment for me. My sisters and I would sit around complaining about what our husbands were or were not doing. Every time we complained we were in a sense accepting the behaviors we did not like. One day as I was complaining to my neighbor, she hushed me and said \u201cthere will be no more of that talk. You must guard your mind and focus only on the good things about your husband.\u201d What??? What she understood and I didn\u2019t at the time was that my power was not in nagging and complaining him into change. You can\u2019t change anybody! My power was in my willingness to change myself through my thoughts about my husband. The saying. \u201cwhat you think about you bring about\u201d is so true. Reclaim your power by turning your complaint into a positive and watch as the situation transforms because you have taken back the reins of power.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The wonderful thing about self-observation is that awareness is the starting point to new behavior patterns that better serve you. Don\u2019t be afraid of what you might find out about yourself. There is power in knowledge. We as women must one by one power-up. As each of us power-up, the feminine power spills over into our families, workplace, communities, and country. We don\u2019t have to fight for power because we already have it. We must start \u201cbeing\u201d powerful in our thoughts, words, and actions. It might be said that it is a man\u2019s world, but we know different! As a dear friend so wisely puts it\u2026\u201d The man was created to be the head, but the woman is the neck. Where the neck turns the head follows.\u201d Don\u2019t ever underestimate your feminine power!<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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