
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 the thumb on your left hand, firmly press down on the
object. Make it hold a position. Try to move it around with a finger on your
right hand. Because the coin holds its position, it has power. You can do the
same thing.
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 using your
power..
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?
Do you remember another time when you held a position on something important? No
matter what anyone said, you stuck to your idea? How did you feel?
Three More Examples
1. Joe is happily married to June and works with June on several
important goals. 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 plenty of personal power and holds a position on
what he knows is right. He says, "Okay, but let's pick up my wife on the way
because she would 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. Soon, your body's addiction gives up and you
are a nonsmoker.
3. You need to write a report for your boss and need it the next 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 regarding the report. You decide 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 computer to
type up the report. By 8 AM, the report is done and it is perfect. Your boss is
thrilled. You feel powerful.
Maintaining Your Power
When you hold a position on a constructive, beneficial position, you soon get
respect and support. The people around you realize you have good intentions and
that you usually do the right thing. They learn to trust you and do not oppose
you.
For example, a friend says, "Don't tell the store you dropped the television.
Tell them it didn't work in the first place."
You say, "No, I'll tell the truth and try to work something out."
Later, your friend says, "Will you help me with my investments? I know I can
trust you."
When an antisocial person holds a position on destructive or evil positions, he
or she eventually fails. Most people in this world prefer good intentions.
Sooner or later, they learn who has bad intentions and withdraw support or fight
back.
For example, every night after a work, a coworker says, "Let's have some fun and
all go get drunk!" At first, a few people go with him, but they soon discover he
is an alcoholic and gets mean when he's drunk. No matter how often he holds a
position and demands that people go with him, he ends up drinking alone.
Holding a position to destroy something good, hurt others or prove others are
wrong is a poor use of your personal power. You lose respect, trust and support.
Management
As a manager, you often make decisions for the good of the group. If you know
what you are doing, you make the right decisions. But being right does not mean
your group members will do what you ask them to do.
You often need some personal power to back it up. The better you can hold your
position on what you know is right, the greater your success.
For example, you say to your computer technician, "Bill, will you back up the
computer files now?"
Bill says, "After I go to the bathroom and have lunch and meet with Marge. I'll
try to do it."
As a good manager, you look Bill in the eye and you say, "Bill, this is very
important. You need to make the backup right now." Bill realizes you are not
flexible on this and does what you say. You stay in charge.
Recommendations
1. Write down situations you should hold a position in space. When do you
let people push you around? When should you say, "No" or "Yes" but you back
down? Perhaps you need to hold a position against a habit or temptation?
2. Select an easy item on the list that will benefit you and others if
you hold a position on it. Write down how you will hold your ground.
3. Do it! Hold a position on this thing as soon as possible. Notice how
you feel.
4. Continue to strengthen your personal power by holding your position in
space on tougher and tougher situations, especially those positions that help
you and others succeed.
If you do these steps, you will become more powerful than ever before.
Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.
Copyright © 2005 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard.
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