Developing Inner Power

The Paradox of Resilience

I have often wondered about the paradox of inner power. I find it curious that we often associate feeling vulnerable with being weak, while denying these feeling is associated with strength, with being tough. I’ve concluded that it is the desire to avoid emotional pain that underlies this paradox. But ironically it may take more energy to disavow difficult thoughts and feelings than to experience them. This paradox of resilience holds a clue to understanding the nature of true inner power: confidence in one’s ability to cope with the adaptation demands of adverse circumstances, while realizing that feeling vulnerable can be a path to strength.

While it is natural to want to avoid physical and/or emotional pain, we often go through mental, emotional, behavioral, and even social contortions to block the discomforting feelings of vulnerability, the very experiences that help develop inner power. But difficulties can motivate, encouraging us to recall how we faced problems in the past. Affirming resilient skills we’ve utilized before enables trust in the ability to achieve positive outcomes now, adapting and bouncing back even while bearing the discomfort of anger, fear and anxiety. Accepting and experiencing feelings of vulnerability with their associated thoughts creates a stronger Self that can know and affirm inner power.

The Paradox of Intuition

Intuition comprises another phenomenon of inner power. Often dismissed as woo-woo, intuition is actually an innate resource of resiliency that can be employed to access creative imagination. For example, by envisioning an inner mental screen, you can view practical solutions to your problems as if you were watching a live stream program. In this way you are able to rehearse coping strategies, assessing which ones might be best suited to the situation. This type of intuitive rehearsal can help you decide on the correct strategies and take the most appropriate actions for a given problem.

As you develop inner power based on resiliency and intuition, mental confusion will subside and intuitive wisdom will come into focus. As your inner power grows, you will be able to manage the circumstances of relationships, families, work and community with a stronger sense of Self and greater peace of mind.

I’ll be saying more about building a strong sense of Self in future blogs.