© 2025–2026 CoachingAndLife.com · 52 Ways Values Coaching Program · All rights reserved · Created by Berit Ladefoged · Unauthorised reproduction prohibited
Not dominance, not control over others. The internal capacity to move from intention to action — to make things happen because you have decided they will happen.
This session takes 20 to 30 minutes Find a quiet space No right answers
"Real Power is not about what you do to others. It is about what you are willing to do for what you believe in." CoachingAndLife 52 Ways Program
Working through a value honestly, seeing where it is genuinely missing and mapping what to do about it, is hard to do entirely alone. That is part of why CoachingAndLife exists. We are built on the idea that people move further together than they do in isolation, with sharper thinking, honest reflection, and real support close by when it is needed. You do not have to work this one out by yourself.
Power is one of the most misunderstood values because it has been conflated with its corrupted versions — dominance, coercion, the use of position to diminish others. But real Power is not about other people at all. It is the internal capacity to act on what you believe, to build what you have decided to build, to move in a direction without waiting for conditions to be perfect or for someone else to validate the direction.
The person who lacks Power in this genuine sense is not weak — they are often highly capable. But their capability sits in waiting. Waiting for the right moment, the right resources, the right permission. Real Power is what you exercise when you stop waiting. It is the decision that the moment is now, the resources are sufficient, and the permission is yours to give.
Use this session when you feel capable but stuck. When you have ideas that are not moving. When you sense you are waiting for something external that is never going to arrive. When you want to understand the difference between Power as force and Power as the decision to act on what you actually believe.
"The person who acts on what they believe, without requiring the world to first confirm that they are right, is exercising the most honest form of Power there is." CoachingAndLife 52 Ways Program © Berit Ladefoged
They do not wait for consensus before moving. They gather the input they need, make the call, and move. Some calls are wrong — they adjust. But the willingness to decide is itself a form of Power that most people outsource to committees, processes, or the hope that someone else will take responsibility.
They look honestly at what is not working in their life — and they change it. Not quickly, not without difficulty, but without waiting for external circumstances to make the change feel safe. The decision that something needs to change is itself the Power that makes change possible.
Insightful, capable, fully aware of what the situation requires. And perpetually positioned one step back from the action, waiting for something — clarity, confidence, permission — that will confirm it is safe to move. Meanwhile, the moment passes. This is Power withheld, and it has a cost.
To someone who values harmony and care, a person who acts decisively and without extensive consultation can feel threatening, as though their directness is a form of imposition. But the person who acts from genuine internal Power is not imposing anything. They are simply not requiring other people's agreement in order to move.
To someone who values decisiveness, a person who always checks, always waits, always defers to the group before acting, can look like they lack confidence or conviction. But some deference is genuine collaboration. The question is whether it comes from wisdom or from the avoidance of responsibility.
It is the decision that you are the person who acts here — not because you are the most qualified, not because you have the most authority, but because you have decided this matters and you are willing to be responsible for the outcome. That willingness is rarer than any credential.
Think about the last time this value was fully present in your life. What did it feel like and what did it make possible? Now think about where it is absent today. Write down the difference between those two states as specifically as you can.
When does this value show up in you naturally and without effort? When do you suppress it because it feels unsafe or too much? Notice the gap between those two answers. That gap is where this week’s work lives.
If this value were fully alive in you, what would change at work? What would change at home? What decision that you have been avoiding would suddenly become clear? Be specific. Generalities do not move anything.
This value is not an end in itself. It is a door. When you live it fully, what does it open? What relationships become easier? What version of yourself shows up that is not yet fully present?
Do not soften this. Where in your life right now is the absence of this value creating friction, distance, or stagnation? Name it precisely. The clearer you are about the cost, the more motivated you will be to do the actual work this week.
Watch for this: you can see exactly what needs to happen and you are waiting for permission or perfect conditions before you move. Real Power is deciding the moment is now and acting on your own authority.
This is a guided conversation, not a quiz. The AI will open warmly, ask you real questions, and follow your answers. There are no right responses. Speak from where you actually are today, not from who you think you should be. The conversation will take 10 to 20 minutes and it will go at your pace.
© 2025–2026 CoachingAndLife.com 52 Ways Values Coaching Program All coaching content written by Berit Ladefoged All rights reserved These prompts are unique to Week 25 Strength Unauthorised reproduction, adaptation, sharing or resale is prohibited
You do not have to work through this alone. One conversation can change the direction.
Write to us:
support@coachingandlife.com
© 2025–2026 CoachingAndLife.com 52 Ways Berit Ladefoged All rights reserved Denmark & California
CoachingAndLife follows GDPR and the relevant AI-use regulations in full. Nothing you write here, in this reflection or in your workbook, is collected, stored, or seen by us — this page and its conversation run entirely on your own device. If you would like real support alongside this work, we are here.
