In organisations, we often see people underestimate themselves.
They hesitate to take on something new because they have never done it before. They hold back because they fear making a mistake. They allow difficult situations, demanding stakeholders or the opinions of others to occupy far more space in their minds than they deserve.
And slowly, without realising it, they give away their power.
Recently, I had the opportunity to facilitate a Personal Effectiveness session for the managerial team at OFCC in Sohar, in association with the Rajayoga Centre for Self Development, Oman.
One of the most meaningful moments came when participants moved beyond the familiar idea that “power is within me”and began to recognise something much deeper:
“I am far more powerful than I have allowed myself to believe.”
That is a very different realisation.
Because power is not about never making mistakes. It is about knowing that mistakes can become learning.
It is not about having done something before. It is about having the courage to try.
It is not about being free from criticism. It is about refusing to let criticism decide your possibilities.
And it is not only about stepping forward. It is also about looking honestly at yourself and saying, “I can become better than I am today.”
When we begin directing our energy towards our own capabilities rather than constantly feeding the things that trouble us, our experience changes.
The situation may remain the same.
But the person facing it is no longer the same.
Perhaps the question is not whether you have enough power.
Perhaps it is:
How much of your power are you still waiting for the outside world to give you?