Stephen Parato, Contributor
Waking Times

Don’t externalize your inherent power.

Stop giving your power away.

That’s how people devolve from unique individuals to automatons. From vibrant beings, to dull shadows. From freethinkers, to brainwashed sheeple. From healthy and passionate, to fat and apathetic. From fun-loving and imaginative, to just plain bland.

These stark contrasts are becoming more and more apparent in today’s society. There is something fundamentally wrong. We all know it deep down, but some choose to ignore it. Are we too hopelessly dependent on the system to even entertain these ideas?

WE NEED TO TAKE OUR POWER BACK.

We need to realize what we’re truly capable of.

It is our responsibility as human beings. Not doing so is a blatant injustice to ourselves, our future, and the whole of existence.

Empower Yourself

Regarding knowledge. You don’t need a degree, or letters after your name to think a certain way. Give yourself permission to be thoroughly informed on any subject. The information is out there, take advantage of it. Have a burning desire to learn. The more you learn, the more you know. The more you know, the more you understand. The more you understand, the more you apply. The more you apply, the more power you have. And the more power you have, the more you truly live. (Just use that power for good, ya dig?)

Where you get knowledge and information is important too. Do yourself a favor and turn off the TV. Don’t let the mainstream media be your main source of information. A small, handful of companies own all of the media, and they’ve been proven wrong, biased, and caught lying way too much to trust any information (*cough* propaganda *cough*) they present. Get your information from a variety of sources, and form your own conclusions.

 Trust your own intuition and judgment. Don’t let anyone, or any institution, tell you how to think. Again, arm yourself with knowledge and form your own conclusions.

“Different methods interpreted into different forms, from entirely different perceptions and seen from different norms” –Canibus (Poet Laureate II)

Everyone has their own unique spin on reality. What’s yours?

Regarding health. Maximize what you have control of (your mind and body). Experiment for yourself. If you’re not life-threateningly ill, you don’t have to rely on doctors, scientists, and so-called gurus. Realize that you have the power and ability to find the results you want.

Here’s a perfect example regarding diet. You can read what all the experts say about what’s good for you and what’s not, but you’ll never know until you experiment for yourself. Say you want to know if dairy causes allergies for you. Remove dairy from your diet for a few weeks and keep everything else constant. Then reintroduce it and track your results. Common sense, right? But it seems like people forget about simple self-experimentation. Or does everyone just want to give up their power and be force-fed ideas from so-called “experts”?

Regarding physical fitness. See what your body is capable of. Push yourself. Express through movement. Use your body and notice how good it feels. Build an intuitive feel with your own body. It’s yours, and you should know it best. Feel the mind-muscle connection. Recognize your body’s uniqueness. Cherish your body, your vehicle in this reality. The only one you get. Realize that your body is within your control. Recognize how empowering it is to change your body for the better. Losing fat, gaining muscle, getting stronger, reducing pain, building flexibility. All of these are empowering not just on a physical level, but on every level of being. Feel your power.

Paradigm Shifts That Create Empowerment: (How To Have An Empowered Mentality)

Faith. Have faith in yourself. Have faith in God, the Universe, Consciousness, or whatever you want to call it. Faith eliminates self-doubt. Faith crushes fear. Faith allows you to see that it’s all good (baby baby), and trust your own judgment. Remember, the universe tends to unfold as it should.

Eliminate the word “can’t” from your vocabulary. It seems obvious and repetitive, but eliminating limiting speech really works. “The only limitations you’ll ever have are those that you place upon yourself.”

Yes, you do have the ability to make a difference. And this applies to EVERYTHING.

“No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.”–Voltaire

You matter more than you think.

Think about this; can McDonald’s exist if no one buys from them?

No one is better than you (Or worse than you, for that matter). We’re all unique, yet equal. Stop drooling over celebrities, actors, athletes, doctors, CEO’s, politicians, TV personalities, religious figures…etc. Stop externalizing your power. Take what is useful from people you admire, and use it as fuel to better yourself.

“Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is uniquely your own.” -Bruce Lee

No thought or idea is inherently better or worse than others. They’re just different. Don’t be afraid to express YOUR opinion. Sheep life is no fun. Be a lion.

Question everything. Don’t blindly accept anything as ultimate truth. Draw your own conclusions.

Think about responsibility not as accountability, but as power. Put a positive spin on things and trust your intuition. Why wouldn’t you?

If you’re not going to do something about it, then who will? This applies to both your life and humanity as a whole. No one is going to read your mind and do everything for you. Well, unless you still live in your overprotective mom’s basement. YOU need to take action to get what you desire. And we must do the same as a collective race. We can no longer fall into this diffusion of responsibility. If we keep playing hot potato with our problems, people will keep getting burned. Let’s take our power back.

So… What happens when you decide to take your power back:

YOU gain control of YOUR life.
You gain knowledge and wisdom at an accelerating rate. (Because there’s no more mental blocks and limiting beliefs)
You gain experience from taking action and experimenting.
You lead an action-based lifestyle.
You stop being a spectator.
You become a lot less likely to be manipulated.
You don’t become a victim. The victim mentality creates the victim reality.
You develop genuine, unshakable confidence.
You give yourself permission to answer the questions you ask.
You uncover and express your brilliant uniqueness.
You truly live, instead of merely existing.
You give others permission to do the same.
You become the master of your fate. The creator of your reality.
(There’s a lot more to include in that list too. Help me out by adding more in the comments below.)

Stay feelin’ good, feelin’ great.

About the Author

Stephen Parato (aka Stevie P) is a holistic health & wellness advocate, philosopher, writer, and positivity connoisseur. He is also the founder of Feelin’ Good, Feelin’ Great.Website link: http://www.feelingoodfeelingreat.comFacebook link: http://www.facebook.com/FeelinGoodFeelinGreatTwitter link: http://twitter.com/SteviePThatsMe