Take a tip from Wonder Woman…..trust me you’ll thank her.
Amy Cuddy and her TED talk on power poses has created quite a splash on YouTube. The American social psychologist, author and speaker has written and spoken a lot about body language. But in particular about power poses.
“What on earth is a power pose?” I hear you ask. Contrary to what you may fear, a power pose does not require you to put your hand on one hip, bend your knee, stick your chest out and pout at a camera whilst trying to look sexy!
It’s basically a stance you hold that generates a feeling of strength, confidence and power.
How to form a power pose
Stand up straight, hold your head high and put your hands on your hips – like wonder woman! Take a deep breath and stay like this for a while. Notice how you feel.
Now, drop your hands to your sides, bend over, look down and hunch your shoulders. How do you feel now? My guess is you felt more positive and confident in the wonder woman pose!
Alternatively, you could try standing tall with your arms outstretched above you, like you might do if you’d just won a race. Experiment with different poses and see what pose works best for you.
Use the power pose
You can practice these poses and use them to your advantage when you need them. If you have a job interview, stand like wonder woman in the lift on the way up to meet the boss (only if you’re alone of course!) Imagine the surge of confidence and strength you could take into the interview room with you.
I’d highly recommend checking out Amy’s TED talk on this to learn more.
Power words
In addition to power poses, I often use power words with my clients. It’s a similar concept. Words can profoundly affect us. We all know somebody who hates a particular word. Someone I used to work with couldn’t stand the word ‘moist’. The less said about that the better!
Likewise, there are some words we love – they just sound nice. For me it’s ‘scooter’ (I even gave my cat this name).
We can use words to generate feelings. Have a look at this list of words. See if any resonate with you and make you feel good:
Create your own power word
Once you’ve found a word that resonates with you, follow these simple steps to create your own power word:
Find a word that generates some kind of emotion in you. Really hold that word in your mind. See it written out in your mind’s eye – what kind of font is it?
Give it a colour, even go crazy and add sparkles or glitter.
See if you can write your word onto an object so it becomes three-dimensional.
Make a clear vision of this object and word in your mind – the font, colour, background and the object it sits on.
I also love the word ‘gold’. It reminds me of the 80s Spandau Ballet song (sorry if you’re too young). It represents being strong and indestructible. I see it written in glittering gold on a grey pebble. When I want to access the feeling of being indestructible, I picture that pebble in my mind (whilst standing like Wonder Woman, of course!)
Enjoy feeling fantastic!
Once you’ve found your power word, create a strong mental image of it and keep hold of it. Visualise this image any time you need to summon that emotion. Combine your power word with a power stance and you’ll double up on the good feelings!
I am a qualified Coach and Hypnotherapist, offering coaching, hypnotherapy and my powerful 'fusion' sessions. Find out more.