#200: Power isn’t freedom and sometimes it can actually be a trap…..

Changing The Story with Lana Dingwall

Many people (myself included) pursue the illusion of power, because under the surface what we desire is freedom and we think this is the only way to get it.

The only way I can be free is to have so much power, that no one can have authority (ie control) over me. Because we live in a world of haves and have nots, I need more power, money, status and things than other people to ensure I am one of the ‘haves’, someone at the top of the pecking order. *(having power and being empowered are not the same thing)

I am happy to say that years ago I gave up that ideology and way of relating with the world and others - but I'd be lying if I said it still doesn't creep up on me from time to time.

I believe that true freedom means freedom for all. This doesn’t mean getting to do whatever we want, whenever we want, without any regard for others and without consequences. We are so vastly interconnected in ways we can’t even comprehend, that we need to respect each other and part of that means understanding that I will have some peramatures where my freedom might bump into someone else's, and that freedom isn’t an all or nothing thing.

Power though, well now when I have power I don’t need to respect anyone, I can just squash bulldoze right on over them because I have more power.

You might be asking what the heck this has to do with entrepreneurship, and I would say everything.

Many of us (as I did) build out our businesses and lives wanting more power and often what can happen is it leads us off course. It leads us away from the things that bring us joy and instead have us focusing on accumulating more because more = power and we confuse power with freedom.

Freedom means the beautiful space to be you - to live the life you want, not the one others tell you to want - to be able to express yourself in ways that light you up vs the ones ‘you must do to grow your business’.

We dive deeper into this philosophical discussion on this week's podcast episode which you can listen to here.

I still want to be powerful (AND empowered), I just know that the power I seek comes with significant responsibility and I never want it to come at the expense of someone else ‘having to lose’.

I believe that pondering certain kinds of questions helps us better understand ourselves, what we desire and what we’re truly looking to create.

Are you potentially confusing power and freedom? Have you maybe been living in a paradigm where there needs to be losers in order for there to be winners? Or do you live in a world where we’re all able to win, we just need to work together to get there?

Keep being awesome my friend and together we can, will and already are creating a different world together.

• Lana

1. THIS IS EPISODE 200 of the podcast?! That is crazy to me. Thank you so much for being a part of the journey.

If you enjoy these conversations, check out The Lighthouse Collective. It’s a community for socially and spiritually conscious entrepreneurs building a better world together. We talk about topics like this in even more interactive and supportive ways.

If you are interested in working 1-on-1 with me to help grow your business, I would love to connect with you on a free coaching call here. Learn more about my coaching services here