Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header about About Home Profiles articles Tools forums inspirational quotes About facebook Twitter YouTube Blog
Share for a Cause











The Top 5 Lies about power...

Guest post by: Jim Bouchard

Article Overview: Is power good or evil? Does power inevitably lead to corruption? If power is so bad, why can't we do a damn thing without it? Power is no more or less than your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively. You determine whether you'll apply your effectiveness for good or bad, for cultivation or destruction...to control others or to create authentic personal and professional success!

Free Download - Leadership: The power of compassion & respect By Jim Bouchard
Name: Email:

The Top 5 Lies about power...

Is power good or evil? Does power inevitably lead to corruption? If power is so bad, why can't we do a damn thing without it?

First, let's define it. Power is no more or less than your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively. You determine whether you'll apply your effectiveness for good or bad, for cultivation or destruction. However, I doubt any of you woke early this morning to add the following item to your task list:



"TODAY- become weaker!"


Power is one of the most useful and important characteristics of Black Belt Mindset. Become more powerful and you become a greater resource to everyone around you. Power creates value- and value is what you trade upon to create your vision of success and happiness.


Today I share an excerpt from my first book, "Dynamic Components of Personal Power" which will soon be re-titled and released as "Black Belt Power for Everyday People." We all have the capacity to be effective and powerful. We all have the ability to create meaning and value in our own lives, and the lives of those around us.


Top 5 Lies About Power

LIE #1: POWER CORRUPTS Bull! Power does not have a mind. Power is not capable of thinking or choice. Power is simply your capacity to achieve your goals and fulfill your desires.

If your goals and desires are centered on positive values, you'll produce goodness and abundance and you'll be able to share this abundance with others.

If you're a rotten person, then you'll probably use your power to take what you want regardless of the effect on the people around you and the planet you share with them.

Whether you're a good person or a rotten person is up to you. How you use power is up to you. Without power you can't do very much. If you want to help yourself and others, you need to develop personal power. If you want to help others as well as ultimately creating happiness for yourself you'll also want to develop good character and a positive value system.

Power doesn't corrupt, it's just that corrupt people have the same access to power that you do. If you want to prevent corruption, become powerful, live a positive life and teach others to do the same.

LIE #2: POWER IS JUST FOR THE POWERFUL!

Some people are born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. Some are born into rich families, some are also born smarter or with better health than others. True enough.

Power is not something you're born with. Power can only be developed. People born with disadvantages become powerful, and people born with every imaginable advantage can still turn out to be weak.

If you did inherit fortune, fame, good looks and intelligence, be thankful; you were blessed with some powerful resources. If you didn't, be thankful; you were given the opportunity to create your own success from scratch. You may have an advantage over those born with privilege. You may develop a true understanding and appreciation of wealth at an earlier time. You may find true wealth long before you produce material riches.

It's your nature to be powerful. It's up to you to express your nature.

LIE #3: MONEY IS POWER

In this statement you can also substitute knowledge or fame.

Money, knowledge and fame are resources you can access to develop and express power. They are not power in and of themselves. If they were, all rich and smart people would be powerful; no desperate or stupid people would be.

LIE #4: POWER IS CONTROL

People control power. Power without control is dangerous. In fact, you need to develop power in order to gain control. This is true of material resources, emotional resources and spiritual resources.

If you lack personal power, you cannot control these resources, these resources will control you. People become slaves to money only when they lack the power to develop control over their impulses. Greed is born in a vacuum, and the vacuum that breeds greed is an absence of personal power, discipline and compassion.

The same is true in an emotional sense. When you lack power, other people can control your emotional assets. When you're powerful, you own the resources you need to maintain control in your own life. This is particularly important when times are tough and you're emotionally vulnerable.

Don't confuse power and control. The only way to really control others is through fear and subjugation, but that kind of control invites revolt. Dictators control other people.Inspire and motivate others. Share the power and there's little or no need for control. It's much more efficient to control conditions than to control people.

When you think you're controlling others, they may really be the ones in control. People often go along with the dictator just to make life more tolerable. Once the opportunity presents itself, most people will eventually try to free themselves from oppression. When it comes to people, control is at best a temporary illusion. Most dictators fall, and few truly win the hearts of the people.

Real control is an internal process. Learn to develop and control your own resources. Develop your own personal power. Cultivate the power in others and you'll become a leader. Leadership is your ability to bring out the best in others, and that's real power!

If you really want power in your own life and you want to have a positive impact in the lives of others, then trust is a much more powerful force than control.

LIE #5: YOU CAN'T GET IT!

A close cousin would be: "You don't deserve it."

Every human being has the capacity to develop tremendous personal power. Within the scope of your unique talents and abilities, your potential is unlimited.

I believed every one of these lies at some point in my life. I had good reason to believe these lies; they came from reliable sources. These lies came from my parents, teachers, journalists, authors, and many other people I was supposed to trust and respect. I was indoctrinated with these lies as long as I can remember. I didn't know any better. Now I do.

I'm not mad at anyone who told me these lies, and I'm not going to start this book with a negative tone. Quite the opposite: blessed with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, I can see why the people I trusted told me these lies; they cared about me!

Some people, I'm sure, propagated these lies to keep power away from me, and you. Those people think the way to preserve power is to keep it away from others. At best that's selfish, at worst it's evil.

Parents, teachers and others tell you these lies because they're trying to keep you safe! People who care about you don't want to see you take stupid chances; they don't want you to get hurt and they don't want you to end up broke and broken. They just want you to be happy- and safe.

The problem is that safe and happy don't always go together. Real reward always involves risk; to win you've got to get in the game. Discipline yourself, practice, and prepare yourself to compete. Develop the courage to face competition.

Related Articles
  Live a Life of Discovery
  LEADER ARE LIKE CALENDAR ,NEVER LIES.
  Little White Lies
  Lesson #5: The Follow-Through is the Most Important Factor
  Is There A Secret to Success?
  Enlightened Millionaires: AHA Number 3
  “The Awesome Power of TO-DO Lists, According To Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach”
  Lies We Live By
  Power Your Business Financing with Canadian ABL Services – Why Asset Based Lending Works
  SME's - a solution for Africa
  Most Laptop Battery Charger Defects are Simple to Identify
  The REAL Cost of Big Fat Internet Marketing Lies
  Home Business Scams, Lies, and Flat-Out B.S.
  Oprah's Was Steamin' Mad
  Does Power Corrupt
  Make your mastermind rock
  It just didn't matter
  Learning at the Frank Sinatra School of Leadership
  Do You Wake Up Happy or Anxious?
  Business success strategies -- Lies That Trap Us

Home > Small-Business-Consulting > Jim Bouchard > The Top 5 Lies about power >
Article Tags: business, confidence, leadership, management, personal development, personal growth, power, selfhelp

About the Author: Jim Bouchard
RSS for Jim's articles - Visit Jim's website

Martial arts transformed Jim's self-perception from that of a drug-abuser and failure to successful entrepreneur and Black Belt! 

Speaker, media personality and author of Amazon bestseller THINK Like a BLACK BELT, Jim tours internationally to share his philosophy of Black Belt Mindset with coporate and conference audiences. He's a regular guest on radio and TV programs including FOX News, BBC Worldview and FOX Across America. 



Click here to visit Jim's website
Dashed Line

Power Play
More from Jim Bouchard
New Year Revolutions


Related Forum Posts
Women Entrepreneur Tips Women Entrepreneur Tips - Thank you LeoOliveros, I found #4 particularly true in my case: 4. The Enterprise Must Include the Power of Power Networks. As a conductor of your own enterprise, you can not see yourself as a one-woman-show. You must choose to utilize the power people in your life, by asking for help when you need it, and effectively delegating in order to capitalize on your strengths and that of your power network. When certain experts are not represented in your power network, you must actively seek advisors or mentors and develop a team of specialists, so the benefits are received by everyone involved in the power network - the true Power of Power Networks.
Psychics & horoscopes! Psychics & horoscopes! - I have never sought the help of a psychic and I deffinately do not believe in horoscopes. Although I do believe "some" psychics could hold a special gift (like the ones that help police) occassionaly, but horoscopes are not believable in my book. I I believe the power of suggestion (reading a horoscope) is the real power there. You read or hear how things should go for you and the power of that suggestion could make it happen. Your mind believes it will happen, so it does. It's Sort of like how if you fully believe you are sick (when you are not), your body reacts as if it really is, therefore developing symptoms.
9 Lies that are holding you back 9 Lies that are holding you back - I've picked up this book to assist me with my conversations when coaching business clients and I've found it to be quite enlightening as distinctions are made. The book is titled "9 Lies That are Holding Your Business Back..." by Steve Chandler and Sam Beckford (aka Small Business Millionaire). I'll use this post in two ways: 1. To highlight A Lie 2. To help me internalize the concepts by writing about it in my own terms/understanding so that I can use it in future conversations (yes, I'm feeling a lil selfish and want to take you guys along with the journey) first post to arrive shortly on the First chapter: Lie#1: I Just Need to Know [i:23sag391]How[/i:23sag391] to Do This"
Business plans are a waste of time Business plans are a waste of time - I really like what Shri said in a previous post about how the usefulness of a business plan depends on the individual. However, after reading some of Martin Lindstrom's "Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy"... I'm beginning to think that all business plans and traditional market research (i.e. using focus groups, surveys, etc.) are a total waste of time. No joke, I'm serious. Lindstrom says "That's because, just like market research, economic modeling is based on the premise that people behave in a predictably rational way", but "Most of the brain is dominated by automatic processes, rather than deliberate thinking. A lot of what happens in the brain is emotional, not cognitive." ("Buyology" pg 28). Basically, consumers will tell you one thing, and do simply do another with their unconscious minds.
Hello to the forum Hello to the forum - Hi everyone nice to be here, I found a link to this forum whilst looking around another forum and fancied a look, liked what I saw and joined. I'm newer than new and at my age to say that is refreshing to say the least! 25 years of working in pipeline construction has taken me all over the place and now it's time to seek another venue. At present I'm stuck in England but have a home in the Philippines, Panglao Island, Bohol Province to be exact, My partner Marilyn is there looking after our little business and my young kids. I hope to learn from the gurus of this forum and pass on whatever info I learn to my future followers. I welcome all advice no matter how trivial it may seem, as to my mind knowledge is power - power is revenue - revenue is a means to an end. Thanks everyone and I look forward to meeting you all very soon.


Recommended Article for You close

  Live a Life of Discovery

Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article

Bottom Footer



Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Environment and productivity at the office

Top Ten Feeble Follow-up Attempts to Fathom

Adjusting Your World

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.