Power's often perceived negatively but it can be a tremendous force of good when used properly most people want power or at the very least the respect of others this article will go over the three main Forms of Power "Authority", "manipulation" and "true power" and how you can use them to be powerful .
1- First off we have authority :
People in positions of authority naturally have power and respect this is one of the main reasons why people have a negative opinion on power because people in Authority positions tend to abuse the power think of positions like the cop ,CEO or Manager people listen to them because there will be negative consequences if they don't no one wants to have Force used on them or to get fired these threats are very effective at influencing people quickly but it won't get you loyalty and as soon as they are no longer faced by the threat you'll lose your power over them let's say you're a terrible manager and you've been threatening your employees To work longer or else they'll get fired once your employees find a new job or they're so fed up with you that they are willing to quit you'll lose all your power over them to get this kind of power it's pretty self-explanatory once you get that position of power you have the power and respect that comes along with it what's important is how you use that power because it can be used for good ,If you're in a position of power learn how to be charismatic and how to inspire other people lead by example this way you can get people to follow you and earn their loyalty without having to use threats people would rather listen to someone they like as opposed to doing something because there's a threat looming over them
2-Second we have manipulation :
Do you know someone that you just can't Trust but they seem powerful they seem to be able to get people to do what they want and it feels slimy interacting with them when you think of manipulation you might think of outright lying but it's more complicated there's all kinds of manipulation tactics that get people to do what the manipulator wants and most of them are harmful but I want to focus on a tactic that seems harmless and is very common, a common form of manipulation that almost everyone does is trying to convince you that something is in your best interest when what they really want is for you to solve a problem for them it can look like your friend trying to get you to go to this event with them by telling you it will expand your horizons when they really just didn't want to go alone it's highly likely you have done something like this before and there's No need to beat yourself up over it most of us have gotten what we wanted in this indirect way before and if something worked in the past you tend to repeat it you might have even helped other person and got your needs met at the same time doing this you want to be aware of your manipulative Tendencies because when people find out that your voice is self-serving you'll lose power and respect they might even want to distance Themselves from you since you violate the golden rule of relationships which is relationships are about give and take I don't recommend using manipulation to be powerful but you should know that it's something people do and you should watch out for it .
3- Finally we have true power :
People who are truly powerful have this Charisma and you know they are trustworthy Unlike people who appeals Authority or manipulators it doesn't feel bad interacting with them people who are truly powerful are able to reveal their truth or needs without forcing anyone to meet their needs or agree with their truth I like manipulators who care about other people's actions to the point where they will do slimy stuff to get what they want people who have true power know that other people don't hold the keys to Their happiness it will feel good when people do what you want but if you are powerful it won't matter if they don't people who are truly powerful able to express themselves authentically and that is why people find them so magnetic so how can you get true power there's a couple of things you can do:
1. let go of the outcome :
Oftentimes people think they need things to be a certain way ,You might have hoped that the interviewer will give you the job or that Crush will date you people that aren't powerful think other people hold the keys to their happiness which is why they obsess about the outcome people that are powerful know they'll be okay even if they get rejected powerful people know that they will get more opportunities because they have an abundance mindset, if you want to learn More I recommend learning about the difference between a scarcity mindset versus an abundance mindset
2-Own clearly that you're asking someone to act in a way that benefits you :
sadly there are still cases where this isn't good advice I have found that this has helped me be more persuasive and likable by acknowledging how your advice benefits you the other person can make a well-informed decision and trust your
Intentions they will have to wonder about what's in it for you if you're doing this just remember you still need to use persuasive tactics and state how it helps them from their point of view you will look untrustworthy and lose respect if you only talk about how it benefits you .
3. learn how to enjoy being alone :
when you learn to enjoy your own company you tend to stay away from manipulating Other people most of the time people do some small manipulation to try to get some company for something because they aren't comfortable being alone when you are comfortable being alone you can freely express yourself and you won't have to worry about whether someone wants to join you or not .