Research dictates that our power is depleted by outside sources, “… environmental demand exceeds the natural regulatory capacity of an organism.”. Is this true?

Regardless of environment, one can sail through any experience ‘powerfully’ by tweaking your own perception of a situation, allowing for different responses, lessen intensity of reactions, alleviating the sense of doom, and increase levels of humor. Seriously, is there any situation in life that so bad that your perception will allow complete disablement, unless you so desire it? Even death may be a form of growth into a new life, so why only ‘perceive’ it only as a negative and not a positive?

Modern society seems to be conditioned to giving terminal meaning to the terms: positve and negative. We live in an ‘all or nothing’ realm of thinking, in general terms. Why do you think this is?

Why does a negative experience have to be a bad thing? Have you ever enjoyed the hindsight of what ‘was’ previously thought of as a negative turn out the be the best thing that ever happened to you?

Why does a positive experience a good thing? Have you ever lived through the ‘coming down off a high’, and wondered why you feel so down or depleted of your own power? That is probably due to the fact that you gave too much of your own energy into creating the ‘high’ (positive experience), don’t you think? Yes, I said ‘you gave’. Human beings have the ‘power’ to manage the amounts of energy or thought that is invested into any moment in time.

It has been said, ” One cannot control what comes to mind, yet one can manage the amount of time it stays there”.

Let begin with the definitions of the Key Words to describe human conditions.

What is Power? or personal Power?

Wiki says: “Power is frequently defined by political scientists as the ability to influence the behavior of others with or without resistance. The term authority is often used for power perceived as legitimate by the social structure. Power can be seen as evil or unjust, but the exercise of power is accepted as endemic to humans as social beings. In the corporate environment, power is often expressed as upward or downward. With downward power, a company’s superior influences subordinates. When a company exerts upward power, it is the subordinates who influence the decisions of the leader (Greiner & Schein, 1988). Often, the study of power in a society is referred to as politics.

The use of power need not involve coercion (force or the threat of force). At one extreme, it more closely resembles what everyday English-speakers call “influence”, although some authors make a distinction between power and influence – the means by which power is used (Handy, C. 1993 Understanding Organisations).

Much of the recent sociological debate on power revolves around the issue of the enabling nature of power. A comprehensive account of power can be found in Steven Lukes Power: A Radical View where he discusses the three dimensions of power. Thus, power can be seen as various forms of constraint on human action, but also as that which makes action possible, although in a limited scope. Much of this debate is related to the works of the French philosopher Michel Foucault (1926–1984), who, following the Italian political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), sees power as “a complex strategic situation in a given society social setting”. Being deeply structural, his concept involves both constraint and enablement. For a purely enabling (and voluntaristic) concept of power see the works of Anthony Giddens.

In my opinion, power is freedom, plain and simple. A powerful human being usually attracts followers, but is it truly necessary to have followers to experience successful growth and peace in life – NOT! We all need to maintain some form of interdepedence on others in this world, for simple survival in a society, yet for true spiritual freedom, one does not need an audience. It is healthy to collaborate through growth in our lives, yet to demand control over others in this exercise, one will only create unnecessary stress in our own life.

Wiki’s people say: Stress is a term that is commonly used today but has become increasingly difficult to define. It shares, to some extent, common meanings in both the biological and psychological sciences.

Stress typically describes a perceived subjective negative concept that can have an impact on one’s mental and physical well-being, but it is unclear what exactly defines stress and whether or not stress is a cause, an effect, or the process connecting the two. With organisms as complex as humans, stress can take on entirely concrete or abstract meanings with highly subjective qualities, satisfying definitions of both cause and effect in ways that can be both tangible and intangible.

The term stress had none of its contemporary connotations before the 1920s. It is a form of the Middle English destresse, derived via Old French from the Latin stringere, “to draw tight.” It had long been in use in physics to refer to the internal distribution of a force exerted on a material body, resulting in strain. In the 1920s and 1930s, the term was occasionally being used in biological and psychological circles to refer to a mental strain, unwelcome happening, or, more medically, a harmful environmental agent that could cause illness. Walter Cannon used it in 1926 to refer to external factors that disrupted what he called homeostasis.

Homeostasis is a concept central to the idea of stress. In biology, most biochemical processes strive to maintain equilibrium, a steady state that exists more as an ideal and less as an achievable condition. Environmental factors, internal or external stimuli, continually disrupt homeostasis; an organism’s present condition is a state in constant flux wavering about a homeostatic point that is that organism’s optimal condition for living. Factors causing an organism’s condition to waver away from homeostasis can be interpreted as stress. A life-threating situation such as a physical insult or prolonged starvation can greatly disrupt homeostasis.

On the other hand, an organism’s effortful attempt at restoring conditions back to or near homeostasis, oftentimes consuming energy and natural resources, can also be interpreted as stress. In such instances, an organism’s fight-or-flight response recruits the body’s energy stores and focuses attention to overcome the challenge at hand.

The ambiguity in defining this phenomenon was first recognized by Hans Selye in 1926 who loosely described stress as something that “…in addition to being itself, was also the cause of itself, and the result of itself.” First to use the term in a biological context, Selye continued to define stress as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand placed upon it.”

Present-day neuroscientists including Bruce McEwen and Jaap Koolhaas believe that stress, based on years of empirical research, “should be restricted to conditions where an environmental demand exceeds the natural regulatory capacity of an organism.” Despite the numerous definitions given to stress, homeostasis appears to lie at its core.

Biology has progressed in this field greatly, elucidating complex biochemical mechanisms that appear to underlie diverse aspects of stress, shining a necessary light on its clinical relevance and significance. Despite this, science still runs into the problem of not being able to settle or agree on conceptual and operational definitions of stress. Because stress is ultimately perceived as a subjective experience, it follows that its definition perhaps ought to remain fluid. For a concept so ambiguous and difficult to define, stress nevertheless plays an obvious and predominant role in the everyday lives of humans and nature alike.

Balance, on the other hand has many descriptions, and my question to you “Is balance all it’s cracked up to be?” How much real learning does one gain during those times in life when there is no imbalance? How much gain is achieved in bodybuilding when on only sits on the bench, not lifing the weights?

Top 10 Definitions of Balance – Dicitionary.com

1. A weighing device, especially one consisting of a rigid beam horizontally suspended by a low-friction support at its center, with identical weighing pans hung at either end, one of which holds an unknown weight while the effective weight in the other is increased by known amounts until the beam is level and motionless.
2. A state of equilibrium or parity characterized by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces.
3. The power or means to decide.
4. a. A state of bodily equilibrium: thrown off balance by a gust of wind.
b. The ability to maintain bodily equilibrium: Gymnasts must have good balance.
5. A stable mental or psychological state; emotional stability.
6. A harmonious or satisfying arrangement or proportion of parts or elements, as in a design. See Synonyms at proportion.
7. An influence or force tending to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.
8. The difference in magnitude between opposing forces or influences.
9. Accounting
a. Equality of totals in the debit and credit sides of an account.
b. The difference between such totals, either on the credit or the debit side.
10. Something that is left over; a remainder.

In response to the above list, my question is in life “Do I want to live in the stable lull or do I want to go for that ride in life, the one including not only bumps in the road, but wonderful scenery along the way?” Perhaps true balance is in the acceptance that both the positive and negative must be experienced to find the perfect balance in one’s life.

Have you ever had a neighbour or family member that has lived in the same house, held the same job with the same look on their face for over forty years; never moving, never vacationing, never changing. Yes, we all know someone like this … come on !!! Have you ever asked them ” How do you do it?” Listen carefully to their responses. Most of these types of people, appearing to be the most stable ( balanced ) in society can actually be nuts! In my observations, some of them are so lazy, they cannot be bothered with change, some are just so depressed that they cannot move and then there are those that are just so angry at the world, they don’t have the desire or energy to contribute to change. This kind of perceived balance may actually be denial. Hiding in the state of denial may just not be all that it has been cut out to be, and actually be a silent form of complete accepted imbalance, with a perceived vision that one is living in that peaceful lull.

Imbalance promotes change and change promotes growth, leaving each of us to our own resources as to how we grow.

‘Denial is the refusal to acknowledge the existence or severity of unpleasant external realities or internal thoughts and feelings’. Living inside this protective state does not promote growth, and eventually leaves the person living in this state missing out on the full adventure of life, don’t you think?

Acceptance in human psychology is a person’s assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition (often a negative or uncomfortable situation) without attempting to change it, protest, or exit. This is one area of living that each human being has unique levels manifesting different responses, with individual techniques, depth of feelings, biochemistry, emotional past experiences, unconscious memories and so on. Accepting one’s own self/situation ‘as is’, the the first step having the ability to celebrate, let alone survive.

Emotions are a complete other story, and one area of human life that is probably the most misunderstood. Most people experience life as a roller-coaster of different emotional states, accepting without question that emotions are something that just happen in response to life events. In any given day, you may experience a range of states, some positive and some that are negative or distressing. The emotional state we are in is so important as it affects how we behave and the results we get. If you are feeling positive and happy, of course the whole world seems better and more interesting and the way you behave will reflect this.

In fact, emotional states are not something that happen ‘to’ us, rather we create them based on how we view and respond to a situation. We all know a really positive person who takes everything in their stride or a friend who seems to get upset at the slightest concern. In these modern times, it is how we respond to perceived threats that cause us stress and problems. Once again, confirming that every single area of life is not what happens to or around us, life is how we respond to stimuli.

Growth will happen for those who recognize the areas of ‘what is’ and are willing to change. There we are coming around full circle to that word: Change. Well, those of us with the willingness and open minds to embrace the ‘whatever’ in life and not fear change, are the ones living life as an adventure and not as a precursor to any particular human condition. Through complete acceptance of every breathing moment, one can actually play through all of the human elements, growing through the multitude of experiences that will happen regardless of personal responses. Balance, biology, change, chemistry, emotions, stimuli, stress and the rest are all facets of the human experience.

Walking the higher ground and having the faith that ‘everything, yes, everything happens for a reason’ will open your eyes and heart to perceptions and possibilities you may never have imagined before. Take Action and enjoy the ride!

LOOSE LEMONS

LET GO all judgement of whatever happens, and enjoy the power found in the complete acceptance of our own powerlessness. When we learn to laugh at our own human frailty in the face, amazing how quickly the cloud of negativity and the gloom of judgement will disappear. There is no control on what happens next, and anyone that claims to have found this is more delusional than the rest of us!

ACCESS YOUR POWER through letting go of all illusion that control is required, imbalance is a negative or growth is easy. We can all strive for safe, yet, let’s not forget to enjoy the ride. The Power is fueled by your perception of every situation you find yourself experiencing; yes, it’s all up to YOU! ~ C.A.H.Desmarchais

Celebrate Your Life – this one anyway !!! 🙂