We’ve all been caught up in situations that we thought rendered us powerless, or helpless. At the time we just could not recognize our own strengths. We believed that everyone else had all the answers, and we never thought to look for them within ourselves. We depended on someone else to give us hope, or a smile.

Why do we need something or someone else to help us feel powerful?   Why don’t we feel strong on our own?

This week is about recognizing, knowing, and fully owning your power.

About 6 months ago something changed and my body was functioning differently. Something had shifted to where my face started breaking out and I’d gained weight by going from a size 00 to a size 2. (That may not seem like a lot, but it is if you have a tiny frame

For a whole 3 months I was bedridden with severe dehydration and depression. Somehow, I could not find my way out of that slump. I’d order movies, write in my diary, review notes for my classes, and still could not find a way out. So, I just laid around longer.

Eventually something had to give. I could not just waste away. Besides, the longer I stayed in bed the more depressed I’d become, the more weight I’d gain and the more time in classes I’d lose. I had to get up and get moving!

What could I do to find my motivation? What could I do to pull myself up?  How can I piece myself together again?

Finally, I made the ultimate decision in Will Power and decided to get out of bed. As hard as it was, I had to. Not only was it emotionally hard, but physically as well because I hadn’t moved around in 3 months!

Funny how it happened;  I just hopped out of bed and started doing the first thing that came to mind:  ballet kicks. Anything to get me going. I then did jumping jacks that soon led me to dancing around my house to the beat of my own drums. My dancing developed into singing out loud songs that I made up on the spot.   I actually began to feel happier!  I then forced myself to laugh hysterically at any and every thing that came on television, or just smile at pictures I found sitting on my desk.

By taking those simple actions I tricked myself into feeling happy.

Once the self-trickery was done I was then able to begin the process of taking back control over my life. I helped myself through my depression by diving full-fledged into my studies.  Now, I make sure to get plenty of rest and drink at least 2 gallons of water a day.  Because I took my power back, my face is as clear as a baby’s, and my weight is back down. I decided that it was time to know I’m power again.

This week, know you’re power. There is never a person or a situation that can take your power from you- unless you allow it to happen. The best way to hold on to your power is stopping negativity at the door.  Never allow negativity into your space.  This week, take your power back!

—Penna

Cheetah Girls – “Girl Power”

The Know You’re Power by INNER PRINCESS Magazine, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.