In what ways do you put yourself down, hold yourself back, or discount your strengths and talents? To see how you might be hiding your power, read through the following statements and check those that are true for you. 1. _____ When a friend puts himself down, I join in by saying something like: “If you think that’s bad, wait ‘til you hear what I do.” 2. _____ I procrastinate. 3. _____ I feel overwhelmed by my negative thinking. 4. _____ I often say “I'm sorry” even when I haven’t done anything wrong. 5. _____ I downplay my looks by how I dress. 6. _____ I tend to focus on worst case scenarios. 7. _____ When making a request I tend to beat around the bush to be nice. 8. _____ My friends tell me that I have a tendency to diminish my talents. 9. _____ I spend more time focusing on my weaknesses than on my strengths. 10. _____ I agonize over taking risks, so I often end up playing it safe. 11. _____ In my work I charge (or accept) less salary than I’m worth. 12. _____ I precede my responses to questions with statements like “this may sound stupid but…” 13. _____ I tend to socialize with people who have low standards. 14. _____ I worry about everything. 15. _____ I don’t accept compliments easily. If you answered yes to numbers 1, 4, 7, 8, and 12, you have a tendency to hide your power with words. If you answered yes to numbers, 2, 5, 11, 13, and 15, you have a tendency to hide your power with actions (or inactions). If you answered yes to numbers 3, 6, 9, 10, and 14, you have a tendency to hide your power by how you think. The thoughts we think on a moment-by-moment basis have the most powerful influence over our lives. As you’ve already learned, thoughts are creative, and they become the springboard for our emotions, words and actions. When you lend words to your thoughts by vocalizing them, you give them even more power. As you act on those thoughts, your actions become your defining experience. Remember this: Everything that occurs in your life is in direct connection to the thoughts you think, the words you speak, and the actions you take. When your thoughts, words and actions are congruent and aligned with your values, you exercise your greatest use of power. Awareness is the first step toward change. As you become aware of how you’re hiding your power, your behavior will automatically start to shift. When your behavior changes, you’ll feel better about yourself, you’ll start making choices that command respect, and your level of confidence and self-esteem will begin to rise. Most important of all, you’ll begin to make your most valuable contributions to others by sharing the full range of your talents and gifts.