Blindspot!
From Issue: 690 [Read full issue]
Real Power
One of the issues that fuels our uncertainty about power is the fact that there are at least two forms of power -"power-over" and "real power." Unfortunately, when most of us hear the word "power" we automatically jump to the concept of power-over - the idea that power is the ability to control people, take advantage of other or exert force over somebody or something. We think of power as finite - there's only so much, so if I'm going to get some, I'm forced to take it away from you.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines power as "the ability to act or produce an effect." Real power is basically the ability to change something if you want to change it. It's the ability to make change happen. Real power is unlimited - we don't need to fight over it because there is plenty to go around. And the great thing about real power is our ability to create it. Real power doesn't force us to take it away from others - it's something we create and build with others.
Compiled From:
"I Thought It Was Just Me" - Brene Brown, pp. 24, 25