The Power We Hold
When defining power, we talk about the ability to influence the behavior of people and the environment around us. As a result, power can have a positive or negative effect (Science of People). Power can be attained in many different ways; some people earn it and others are born into it. Knowledge, experience, and life lessons help people to gain and retain power and specific moments in our lives often carry great weight in determining the person we become.
Certain defining moments in our lives influence the course our life takes and how much power we may accrue. Power can be fragile; it may be lost or diminished within a moment. While how much power we have may be out of our control, there is an aspect that we do have control of: how we use our power. An integral part of gaining power is the ability to use your voice to reach an audience.
Over the past ten weeks, we’ve examined specific parts of our lives to determine where we could create positive social change. Harnessing these personal moments gives us power. In this book, we share the stories and moments that have given us the power to change the world for the better.
For many of us, this was the first time publicly sharing these stories. We discuss moments that have affected us deeply, and helped us grow as individuals. Sharing moments of vulnerability is often uncomfortable and may involve moments of embarrassment. It takes great courage to share these instances of vulnerability, but we hope that by doing so, we may inspire other people to do the same.We want everyone to become comfortable sharing their own story and we hope we help our readers feel brave to do so. Writing with emotion and vulnerability allowed us to reclaim a power we never knew we had. We found experiences in life that were extremely important to us and made us who we are; which is exactly what we want our audience to experience when reading our stories.
Our generation's most powerful form of power is the ability to amplify our voice through technology. Technology, in various ways, allows us to reach a wider audience to share our opinions and values. One example of this comes from the fact that we can publish a book using the Amazon platform. We used the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing service to publish our book. This process is incredibly simple and any human with access to the internet can use it. The ability to disseminate information like this is a prime example of power. Technology gives us immense power at the tip of our fingers.
One of the greatest ways to attain power is to share your story. Author and researcher Brené Brown has conducted research on the power of vulnerability. She asserts that, “when we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending” (Own our history. Change the story.). Through this book, we have attempted to share our stories as openly and candidly as possible. We each embrace the stories which describe difficult moments in our lives, and show how these struggles have guided us to the light. We hope our narratives ignite the power you have to inspire change within your world. Thus, we ask you dear reader, how can you use your power to create change? And, where do you want to see societal change occur?
When defining power, we talk about the ability to influence the behavior of people and the environment around us. As a result, power can have a positive or negative effect (Science of People). Power can be attained in many different ways; some people earn it and others are born into it. Knowledge, experience, and life lessons help people to gain and retain power and specific moments in our lives often carry great weight in determining the person we become.
Certain defining moments in our lives influence the course our life takes and how much power we may accrue. Power can be fragile; it may be lost or diminished within a moment. While how much power we have may be out of our control, there is an aspect that we do have control of: how we use our power. An integral part of gaining power is the ability to use your voice to reach an audience.
Over the past ten weeks, we’ve examined specific parts of our lives to determine where we could create positive social change. Harnessing these personal moments gives us power. In this book, we share the stories and moments that have given us the power to change the world for the better.
For many of us, this was the first time publicly sharing these stories. We discuss moments that have affected us deeply, and helped us grow as individuals. Sharing moments of vulnerability is often uncomfortable and may involve moments of embarrassment. It takes great courage to share these instances of vulnerability, but we hope that by doing so, we may inspire other people to do the same.We want everyone to become comfortable sharing their own story and we hope we help our readers feel brave to do so. Writing with emotion and vulnerability allowed us to reclaim a power we never knew we had. We found experiences in life that were extremely important to us and made us who we are; which is exactly what we want our audience to experience when reading our stories.
Our generation's most powerful form of power is the ability to amplify our voice through technology. Technology, in various ways, allows us to reach a wider audience to share our opinions and values. One example of this comes from the fact that we can publish a book using the Amazon platform. We used the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing service to publish our book. This process is incredibly simple and any human with access to the internet can use it. The ability to disseminate information like this is a prime example of power. Technology gives us immense power at the tip of our fingers.
One of the greatest ways to attain power is to share your story. Author and researcher Brené Brown has conducted research on the power of vulnerability. She asserts that, “when we deny the story, it defines us. When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending” (Own our history. Change the story.). Through this book, we have attempted to share our stories as openly and candidly as possible. We each embrace the stories which describe difficult moments in our lives, and show how these struggles have guided us to the light. We hope our narratives ignite the power you have to inspire change within your world. Thus, we ask you dear reader, how can you use your power to create change? And, where do you want to see societal change occur?
About Vanessa Van Edwards Vanessa Van Edwards is a national best selling author & founder at Science of People. Her groundbreaking book, et al. “The 8 Laws of Power: How to Get Power Using Science.” Science of People, 10 July 2020, www.scienceofpeople.com/how-to-get-power/.
Brown, Brené. “Own Our History. Change the Story.” Brené Brown, 21 June 2019, brenebrown.com/blog/2015/06/18/own-our-history-change-the-story/.
Brown, Brené. “Own Our History. Change the Story.” Brené Brown, 21 June 2019, brenebrown.com/blog/2015/06/18/own-our-history-change-the-story/.
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