Your True Power

Here’s an out-of-the-ordinary interchange that occurred between Liz, my wife, and me. My conclusion might surprise you. Yet it’s worthy of your reflection—and mine, too.

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Last Monday evening, Liz accompanied me to a presentation that I was giving outside of London. It was a fabulous time. Moods were high, and the dialogue between me and the audience was fluent. Later, when we returned to the quiet of our hotel room, Liz held my hand and said, “You know, it’s crazy: I really heard something new tonight. I had a moving revelation as you spoke.”

I replied, “Babe, that’s so awesome.”

To which, Liz instantly let go of my hand and shot back: “Awesome? Don’t you want to know what I heard?”

“Not really. If we talk about it, or examine it, we’ll turn your revelation into a thing (a form, a method). Better to leave it be for now.”

“Well, I want to tell you!”

“If you tell me, it won’t be new anymore. You can’t recycle a revelation; you can only live it.”

“Oh my goodness. I just heard something new again.”

“There you go, sweetheart. And, by the way, I’m hungry. Do you know where the room service menu is?”

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Keep in mind: It’s not what you hear. It’s not what you see. It’s not what you think. It’s that you are gifted with these powers. As a spouse, parent, teacher, coach, employer, or friend, it’s far more affective to point others in the direction of these intrinsic powers—rather to the content of what these powers produce.

Content is personal. Our intrinsic powers are universal. And, as I reminded the audience that night, only the universal—what’s true across the board for everyone—has the power to change the world for the better.