The Ides of March - Reflections on Personal Power

Today is March 15 - the Ides of March. I am reminded of Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar and the theme of the play - power!

Do we realize the power that each of us possess? Personal Power is often allowed to be subjugated by "perceived authority" in our lives -- our boss, our spouse, our parents. Children often do not realize their boundaries and exercise their own personal power - but over time, they are reigned in and their ability to feel comfortable with their power starts to diminish. Once they go to school, teachers and administrators further take personal power away from students under the guise of maintaining order. And many times the loss of personal power is replaced with FEAR - fear of being an individualist, marching to the beat of a different drummer.

This all makes perfect sense and parents and educators alike need children and students to portray behavior that is socially acceptable - but isn't there a time when each of us -- reaching adulthood -- must reclaim our personal power in order to go out successfully in the world?

I meet with many smart and savvy people who have the intellect and the desire to start their own business, but they do not take that step - they have lost their personal power somewhere along the way and do not have the skill set needed to reclaim that power that will allow them to easily break out and make the move to personal and financial success and freedom. They have the desire but not the tools!

I am not advocating anarchy 0r chaos - but maybe we need to be more mindful that while we need to control personal power - we should not instill fear in its place. I have seen the effects of fear and it can be devastating!