Meir Ezra: Personal Power Tip

The greater your personal power, the greater your success. The method for increasing your personal power in this week's article was discovered by L. Ron Hubbard in 1958.

"Power is contained in the ability to maintain a position in space. If you can't maintain a position in space you will never have any power." -- L. Ron Hubbard

Try this demonstration. Put a coin on your desk. Move it around with the tip of your finger. Now, with your thumb, firmly press down on the object. Make it hold a position. Try to move it around with a finger on your other hand. Because the coin holds its position, it has power.

Holding a position on a principle is very important for your personal power. For example, someone at your job says, "Will you tell the boss I met my quota so I can get a bonus?" You say, "No, sorry, I can't lie for you." No matter what the person tries to make you lie, you hold a position. You are maintaining a position.

Do you remember a time when you held a position on something that was important to you? But then someone convinced you to change your mind? How did you feel?

Three More Examples

1. Joe is happily married to June. One day, Joe runs into his ex-girlfriend from college. She tells Joe, "You know, I sure miss you! Let's go to my apartment for some wine and have a chat, okay?" Joe has personal power because he holds a position on what he knows is right. He says, "Great! I'll pick up June on the way because she'd love to meet you."

2. You decide to stop smoking. After the first day, your body seems to be screaming, "Get me a cigarette!" You hold a position and refuse. During the second day, your body seems to say, "I will die if I don't have a smoke." You hold a position and eat a carrot. Because you hold a position, your body's addiction gives up and you are a nonsmoker.

3. You need to finish a report for your boss by morning. Most of the report is in your laptop and you decide to finish it at home. After you eat dinner, you get out your laptop, but it won't start. You try everything you know to get it working with no success. You call for tech support, but learn the computer company is closed for the night. You call your friend who says, "Sorry, I can't help you. I'm sure your boss will understand why you can't write it."

You decide to hold a position and to make it go right. You pull out a writing pad and start to write. At midnight, your spouse says, "I'm sure your boss will understand if you don't finish the report. Come to bed!" You feel really tired and decide to climb into bed.

After a few minutes, you decide to hold a position regarding the report. So despite feeling tired and having a bad laptop, you get up and continue handwriting the report. At 5 AM, you finish the first version. You think, "My boss will understand that it looks sloppy."

Yet once again, you decide to hold a position. You remember you are a professional.

So you get dressed and arrive at the office an hour early. You use a desk computer to type up the report. By 8 AM, the report is done and it is perfect. Your boss is thrilled. You feel powerful. Meir Ezra