The Power of Agreement

A few weeks ago I introduced the importance of power and love in solving difficult situations in which we find ourselves stuck.  One of the key elements in moving from powerlessness to powerful is the power of agreement.  

The power of agreement is a basic level of power that we all have been given.  We are all responsible for the things we agree to.  But we should not exercise our power of agreement lightly.  When we agree with something and commit to action, regardless of the consequences, our power in that area will grow.  If it is a good thing that we agree with and take action on, then the power to do other good things will grow.  If it is a bad thing that we agree with and take action on, then the power to do other bad things will grow.  

But when we choose to act like we agree with something that we don't agree with, we give away power.  An ancient saying says that a house divided against itself will fall.  Acting in a powerless way leads to more powerlessness.  

I am not saying that we have to agree with each thing that we choose to take action on.  There will be a lot of situations in life where things did not go the way we wanted.  Whenever we make decisions with others there will probably be perspectives we don't agree with and sometimes decisions will be made that we disagree with but require our action. The key issue is what we tell ourselves, the way we portray ourselves to others, and the action we take. 

There are five scenarios I see related to the power of agreement that determine whether we are acting in powerful or powerless ways:

1. I agree, I communicate that I agree, I take action = Powerful
2. I disagree, I communicate that I disagree and will not take action, I take no action = Powerful
3. I disagree, I communicate that I disagree but will still take action, I take action = Powerful
4. I agree, I am silent or communicate that I disagree, I either take action or not = Powerless
5. I disagree, I am silent or communicate that I agree, I either take action or not = Powerless

I am not saying that we should weigh in on every situation we face.  That just comes across as opinionated or judgemental. But we need to ask ourselves whether we are acting in powerful or powerless ways in the situations where we find ourselves stuck. 

Daniel

The best mosaics have a lot of pieces...