THE AUDACITY: On Power

In environments that parade a collaborative mission but are actually laced with competition, my frustration isn’t in being ignored or unseen; it lies in my own resistance to claiming my space, because what that entails doesn’t resonate.

I’ve had to reshape my relationship with the word power over the past few years. Power is taught through levels, where you’re directly or indirectly ranking and categorizing. Focusing on owning a room suggests I should expend as much effort outward- implying that stepping into my own center in a space isn’t innate if the focus is on my energy alone.

Power, for me, as I define it now, is really just that indisputable trust I have within myself. Power is in the truth of myself… not in concern for anyone else. Rather, my power in a space comes from the question: “Do I dare?” Do I dare allow myself to see myself and not let any outside force get in the way of what feels genuine to me?

Power isn’t about asserting or disturbing the peace around me. I believe power comes from not allowing my own peace to be disturbed.