PAGE IN PROGRESS What you see here is a page of my hypertext book POWER of meanings // MEANINGS of power. Initially empty, this page will slowly be filled with thoughts, notes, and quotes. One day, I will use them to write a coherent entry, similar to these completed pages. See this post to better understand my creative process. Thank you for your interest and patience!
Robin and Sky can use self-regulation and they do so very well outside of the house. Everybody think they are the nicest kids. At home they do not always behave well. Why? It takes an effort to self-regulate. Self-regulation is a form of personal (mental) power. At home they do not want to make this effort, so they behave differently.
We can use only individual power, which requires intentionality. I believe that there is misconception that having/using power equals "having it easy". If you think of it, it is when we make an effort to lift a heavy stone, that's when we can talk about having physical power. It is easy for me to pick up a grain of sand, but I do not count this as having power. A lot of things that do not require efforts are just functions of our body, something that we naturally do or need to do to survive or be well. Like walking is a function of our body on the most basic level because if we do not use our legs, we will get sick. It is when I am intentionally make an effort to keep walking that I use my power.
Making an effort requires intentionality, which is combination of awareness and choice. By definition, making an effort means making a self-aware choice to put your energy into doing something.
We can talk about "having a strength", which means being able to make an effort and use our power to achieve a certain result.
Subtle but important nuance: make an effort but not force yourself or shame yourself
Direct vs. indirect effort Sometimes power is more efficiently used by applying indirect effort e.g., in a conflict situation, it might seem easier to use physical power, but using mental power to get to a compromise might get to a more sustainable solution another example: trying to will yourself into breaking a habit, while it might be more efficient to use mindfulness (see Unwinding Anxiety)