Inner power- Robin Sharma

On his death, Mahatma Gandhi left behind merely his glasses, his sandals, a spinning wheel and his watch along with a few other simple possessions. But he had this kind of power in multiples. So he influenced the generations.

A few years ago, I stood in the room that Mother Teresa lived in. Pretty much just a bed and a desk. I was awed. And reminded that it was her inner power that moved millions.


This past weekend I read about a kid from Kenya. Poor as dirt. Didn’t get shoes until his teens. One of 11 children in his family. Yet he longed to run. To lead his field. To represent his country. He’d run 125 miles a week yet work as a rock-smasher in a quarry to feed himself. All he had was his power. Inner power. Years later, Geoffrey Mutai is now considered one of the greatest marathoners in history. He’s rich, he’s famous. But those external valuations are just by-products of his bigness from within…

Inner power. We all can access it–and if we want, refine it, stoke it, polish it and radiate it……

This is the power of a strong character + an honest tongue + a creative mind + a wide open heart + a spirit that lives for a cause larger than itself.…
And the uber-cool thing is that when you train in the releasing of this type of power, you not only find an illustrious happiness (and real success) but who you become automatically unchains the same potential within everyone else who inhabits your social group.

I’ve identified 6 Summits to scale on this adventure into your brightest self and genuine leadership [yes, I’ve been watching a ton of mountain climbing documentaries on my summer break including the excellent Higher by the marvelous snowboarder Jeremy Jones]:

Summit #1. Thinking. It seems like a platitude but it’s truth too: your thinking creates your world. Starting to run the new belief that you’re not a victim and that within you this very moment lies a kingdom of pure power is a game-changer. How do you make this thinking your new default? Like most other skills you practice it–every day. [Remember the tools I've shared in my videos and posts?...journaling/meditation/visualization/affirmation/introspection].

Summit #2. Intention. Your dominant thinking will then generate new intentions. These are your drives + desires + motivations. These are the internal fuels that give birth to big results down the road. The clearer your intentions, the more breathtaking their products become.

Summit #3. Volition. Your intentions give rise to your volition–your choices. Choices made from a place of owning and then standing in your inner power are so much more beautiful and inspirational for those around you to watch than those coming from a place of fear and weakness. Get your choices aligned with your authentic greatness and you’ll leave your small, scared you in the dust. Forever.

Summit #4. Responsibility. APR is the acronym I teach to my clients: Absolute Personal Responsibility. When you stop giving away your inner power by making excuses, blaming others and playing “poor me”, you take the power you gave your problems back…and become more powerful. So after making better choices in your behavior, you’ll find you begin to assume better responsibility over your life. This is when we really grow up. We experience a vast awakening…and fully understand that all that isn’t world-class in our world is not because of the world. It’s due to us.

Summit #5. Performance. With “a way of being” called personal responsibility set as our human operating software, we’re then amped for elite performance, no matter where you live and what you do. Whether you’re a teacher or a preacher or an astronaut or a baker, you rise to doing wow-level work. You’ll amaze those who witness you. You’ll get “scary good” at your craft. You’ll spill ridiculous amounts of value into your marketplace. You’ll also discover seemingly superhuman reserves of energy, ingenuity, bravery + compassion enter into your days.

Summit #6. Influence. The final result of climbing this vertical path? Simple: you brilliantly affect others. Your inner power becomes contagious. Their mirror neurons model your example. Their belief in their own gifts + talents + potential grows. Their hearts open too. And you truly leverage your life to raise the world.

Robin Sharma