I learned the hard way to never defer my authority.

For me, it’s a practice and a revealing along the way about where in my life I defer my authority. There are pockets of places I feel empowered, and somewhere I feel that someone else’s ideas or judgments (or my perception of these) may have some power over me. This gives me a new opportunity to see where I can claim more of my own potency and empowerment.

I have carried these questions with me:

Who are we if we don’t have our desires, our needs, our empowerment?

Who are we if we do?

We have the right and freedom to make our own choices and they are ours to have. There are so many opinions out there about the right WAY to do things and not do things, the way to live life…

The truth is that we know deep inside our being what is OUR way at THIS time. This is your authority. Your intuition and core desires are your authority. Your authority is the wisdom of your ancestry, culture, and heritage. Of course, taking input from others can be extremely helpful, but each person’s way is exquisitely unique.

Your evolution and learning here in this life is specific to your soul journey. Your life’s curriculum is not the same as anyone else’s, though you may cross paths for a time. Ways of being or actions that some people would never take perhaps are just right for you. There is no good or bad way to act or be — all the ways are possibilities that we can access at different times when we have different needs or are learning something in particular. Tools that we can call upon that are part of our full potentiality.

Even qualities that are typically valued — for example, empathy, commitment, or patience, are not helpful all the time if they are out of balance. Qualities that are undesirable typically — anger, quitting, etc. can be exactly what is needed, though we often try to avoid these. Where-ever we have a resistance in us to one particular quality, our psyche wants to know it, use it, and claim it as one of the many possibilities that we are.

Exploring Self-Authority

You might consider these questions if this topic strikes you in some way:

❤ Where in your life do you want to claim your authority?

❤ Who or what situations have authority or influence over you?

❤ Where do you or what parts of you lose assertiveness or defer your power?

❤ Where have you denied your needs and deepest desires?

❤ What qualities or ways of being have you dismissed but could have helpful wisdom or power for you?

❤ What does having empowerment or authority mean to you?

Embody Your Self

And to bring embodiment to your self-authority:

❤ What does it feel like in your body when you feel empowered? Sense into where you feel this and how it feels.

❤ When have you felt self-authorized or in your personal power? Notice the sensations in and the experience of the body in that memory. Feel it now.

Fully embodying your empowerment and authority takes more than just analyzing and thinking about it — it requires being in yourself and in your body. Working with the many parts of you can help to support pieces of you that want to grow into your empowerment. There’s also no right or wrong way to enjoy your exploration but I encourage you to be gentle with yourself!

 

Featured Photo by Candice Wu