Your “Ungodly” Power

by Scott Noelle

When parents tell me about situations in which they have felt powerless, there’s a common thread I notice:

Many people seem to think that “powerless” means “less power” than an all-powerful GOD!

Okay, I’m being a bit facetious, but stay with me...

Some people seem to think they’re not powerful unless they can alter the space-time continuum or override the free will of other human beings. (Even the Almighty supposedly doesn’t mess with free will!)

A mother of two little boys shared this situation:

“I’m cooking and I hear crying and shouting from another room — possibly one son attacking the other. I want to immediately go to the boys, but first I need to make the kitchen safe; I cannot be in two places at once; I feel powerless to protect my boys.”

I happen to know that this particular mother is intelligent and competent, and her frustration is understandable. So all I’m really saying is this: The fact that she can’t perform the supernatural act of being in two places at once doesn’t mean she is powerless, it just means she isn’t “God.” :)

Many parents have shared situations that involved dealing with “bad behavior.” For example:

“My ex claims he is broke and can never help financially with the little things for our children: swim classes, clothes, Christmas presents, etc. Yet he [travels frequently] while I stay at home and take care of kids. How do I find my power when I feel this is unfair?”
— Jealous in Minnesota

“I feel powerless with a disrespectful teen daughter and with an always shaming/blaming husband.”
— Doormat in DC

“I feel powerless over my husband who smokes excessively [and doesn’t do enough to protect the baby from second-hand smoke].”
— Disgusted Down Under

“My mum and son both talk to me at the same time. [Drives] me crazzzzzy!!”
— Knutty in Knutsford

I wish I could give everyone the god-like power to make others into the perfectly kind, considerate, respectful souls they could be. But I can’t. (However I can show you how to make new choices for yourself that might inspire others to change.)

The fact that you lack god-like power doesn’t mean you lack ALL power. When you consider the power of your MIND — the power to transform the entire universe of your personal experience by simply taking a new perspective — you’re still pretty damn powerful!

— You can decide that your ex’s hypocrisy is LAUGHABLE.

— You can conclude that your daughter and husband’s disrespectful behavior has nothing to do with you and is just a strategy they use to avoid feeling their DEEP SADNESS.

— You can decide to leave your smokey husband, or...

— You can use it as an excuse to spend more time with your baby in nature, breathing ultra-fresh, cleansing air.

— You can pretend that you’re on a game show in which the challenge is to comprehend people talking over each other — so you can win a “BRAND NEW CAR!!!”

Those are just some random ideas that came to me because I ignored my lack of god-like abilities and focused on my very real power to try on new perspectives. I’m sure you could think of many more.

A new perspective means looking at the same thing from a new angle to create a new experience of it. And since there are infinite angles, there is no limit to the variety of experiences that you can create.

Infinite possibilities. That’s powerful!

Originally published on 2013-01-11
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