7 Practices of Personal Power, Exploring Point #1

7 Practices of Personal Power:

1. Heal your Fear, Surrender in Love.
2. Be in the Present, Pay Attention.
3. Maintain a Vision that is larger than you.
4. Do what Inspires you, Take Action that is in Alignment with your Vision.
5. Take Responsibility for your Actions and your Experience.
6. Speak the Truth, Keep your Word and your Agreements.
7. Practice Forgiveness, Cultivate Compassion.

Exploring Practice #1 - Heal Your Fear, Surrender to Love.

Since Love is the essence of living, and the antithesis of Love is fear*, to my reasoning, this is THE practice:

"Choose Love, release fear. Choose Love, release fear. Choose Love, release fear, over and over and over again until only Love remains. Then, you and I will know enlightenment." Excerpt from my upcoming book, From Pebbles to Pathways.

So, how do we release fear? Many years ago, I discovered a secret. It's simple, yet it REALLY works. The thing is, one has to be ready to let go of one's fear. Easier to do for some than for others. Many don't even know when they are feeling fear. But that is a whole other conversation.

So, are you ready for the secret? It will help if you first think of something that you have a reoccurring fear about. Got something? See it in your head? Okay, here it is, FEEL THE FEAR. Allow yourself to feel what it feels like to be frightened. What does it feel like in your stomach, your heart, your shoulders, your throat? Does it make you want to run? To hide? Take a few minutes and allow yourself to clearly see what you are frightened of and really feel what you are feeling about it. Sometimes, this alone will release the fear.

Reoccurring fear often happens because we resist feeling it, and we resist feeling it because we are afraid to feel it. But we can't release it until we feel it. It's a catch 22. For some though, once they allow themselves to feel their fear, they realize that the fear isn't the truth, and it magically vanishes.

If, however, the fear you're experiencing is particularly hefty, and feeling it doesn’t completely take it away, then try this: Say (or write) to yourself, 1) "WHAT AM I AFRAID OF?” (Be specific.).” Then ask, 2) “WHAT ABOUT THIS FRIGHTENS ME?” and answer the question. Then, take a few moments and allow yourself to imagine the thing that you are frightened of actually happening, and feel what that feels like. Still frightened? Then ask yourself these 2 questions again, addressing another aspect of what you are frightened of.

Here’s an example of how this process might look like. Remember, to feel what you are feeling as you imagine what you are frightened of.

“I’m afraid of speaking in public." What about speaking in public frightens me?
"I'm afraid that when I talk, I will freeze up and I won’t be able to remember what I wanted to say." What about this frightens me?
"I’m afraid that people will laugh at me." What about this frightens me?
"I’m afraid that I will feel humiliated." What about this frightens me?
"I’m afraid that I will feel so humiliated that I will never want to speak in public again." What about this frightens me?
"I’m afraid that I’ll feel worthless." What about this frightens me?
"I’m afraid I won’t like myself." And what about this frightens me?
"I’m afraid I won’t know why am I’m here or what my purpose is." What about this frightens me?
At this point, because I know why I am here and what my purpose is, the question appears comical, and I feel a wave of lightness come over me. “Nothing.” I answer. “The fear is gone.”

Allow yourself to get down and dirty...and honest... with what you are fearful of. The deeper you go, the quicker the result.

As far as Surrendering to Love more deeply, are you ready to truly SURRENDER? All right then…here you go, connect to whom/what you want to surrender to and without judgment, allow yourself to SEE him/her exactly how he/she is. Then, and more importantly, allow yourself to be SEEN by him/her, exactly how you are. Try it.

When we release fear, we open ourselves and create ‘space’ for something else. By choosing to simply witness what is in front of us, without our judgment of right or wrong, or good or bad, and, by being willing to be witnessed and exposing ourselves for ALL that we are, we become surrendered, and this allows Love to rush in.

To begin this process, I recommend you start where you feel "safest".

If you want to personalize this practice, using a mirror works nicely. You will do it by standing squarely in front of the mirror and looking at your face and into your eyes. Notice if you fidget or allow yourself to get distracted with thoughts or smudges on the mirror while in the process. If you do, just bring your focus back to the practice. Do this for 5 minutes and see how you do. If you can do it for 10 minutes, you'll notice great results over time.

If you want to practice this with someone you trust, I suggest lighting a few candles and having some music play in the background can help create an open and loving mood. Make sure you are both comfortable where you are sitting. Then, face each other and gaze into each other’s eyes for 5 minutes to start. Notice if you want to laugh, talk or to look away. Just "be" with your partner. Eventually, work up to 10 minutes or 15 minutes, surrender yourselves more deeply each time.

If you want to surrender to love in general, or love for the world, start with the personal process. After you feel you have a strong feeling of surrendered love for yourself, then take it out into the world!

Find this process frightening? Then go back to the beginning and feel your fear.

Try out these practices and let me know how they go!

* To clarify, I am speaking of emotional fear (False Evidence Appearing Real) that stops us in life, and not instinctual fear that enables us to protect ourselves from real harm.