Be Bold and Courageous
by Paul Lackie
Powerful Positioning
“Powerful individuals change what they can and choose internal peace in what they cannot.”
I would love to be four inches taller! I mean, my seven-year-old grandson is almost as tall as me! I would be so happy to have the beauty and body I enjoyed when I was 21 so I wouldn’t have to “spackle, prime and paint” my face and cover the gray in my chemically-dependent hair. Oh, how I would love to time-travel to my past with my present understanding, go through the doors that my shame and fears kept me from, and refuse to do the things that were seeded from the pressure of people.
Whether past events or present circumstances, let’s face it, some things we are powerless to change. This, however, does NOT make us completely powerless. My internal response to unchangeable facts actually has the ability to em-power me! It’s through this that I can interpret my past with thankfulness, my present with courage, and my future with hope.
Daily we encounter what we cannot change, but that does not mean we are powerless. Circumstances may send fear-based invitations, but that does not mean we are fearful or insecure. We may be confronted with individuals who turn a deaf ear to our voice, but that does not mean we are silenced. The past or present events of our lives do not define who we are nor can they govern our contribution to the world. In actuality, what I believe to be true shapes my reality. Our internal responses to opposing messages accurately reveal to us how secure and powerful we are intrinsically.
To embrace the fullness of our Powerful Positioning we must recognize where we do not have power. As soon as we attempt to control what we cannot or should not, the results will be counter-productive and frustration will follow. We stand powerless when wanting to manipulate another’s decisions, attitudes, actions, or perspectives. Think about this: Is there ever authentic love, loyalty, partnership or validation from one who lives in intimidation from power-handed leadership?
We do not have the power to control the external or expect it to align perfectly with our desires, wants, or dreams. Actually, the challenges along life’s journey do not destroy a vision, but build the visionary, which is a far greater achievement. True success is not built upon the quantity, but the quality of our contribution and is able to exponentially increase in the midst of adversity. A monument was never erected, a hero never recognized, nor a goal ever achieved without the courage to stand when our world is shaking.
Powerful Positioning is an internal posturing. You are the only one that can truly determine the genuineness of your internal order. When there is a peaceful vigilance to your unique expression you’ll witness the birthing of greater confidence. We must acknowledge that we are powerless to change the unchangeable while simultaneously possessing a quiet strength to persevere and grow. This internal dichotomy allows us to walk surefooted when confronted by the rocky terrains of life.
No one is designed to meet every need of everyone on the planet…thank God! We are only responsible to do our part from a heart that is able to discern what we can or cannot change. It is at that point that our external world begins to change; it is by this Powerful Positioning of being the best we can be, no more or no less.
This position is actualized when I choose to give my best every day. It is when I love despite the actions of another and spend my life for those who want my investment. When I choose to serve, give, and care just because it is right, because people are valuable, and because I want to leave the world a better place, life will be truly good because of who I’ve become and the cause that I serve.
Dr. Melodye Hilton
