Have you ever surprised yourself? Like when the rubber really hit the road, the way you saw yourself, you would have guessed that you didn’t have it in you to succeed like you did, or to stay the course rather than falter or to persevere and not give up?
How often do we have thoughts that say “who do you think you are?”, “ you can’t do that”, “you don’t have IT in you”. Sometimes, we’re so used to thinking those thoughts that we don’t even hear them anymore, they’re just there like music in the background.
Whether it was a big life decision or something that happened in life that you didn’t feel prepared for? What was it that you found that you had within you? Was it energy? Drive? Focus? Stamina? Stubbornness?
What was IT that you touched into that made you come out the other end?
Was it perhaps power? By power I don’t mean “power over” someone or something. Typically people who seek or use “power over”, are trying to make up for a lack of connection to INNER power. They use the power that they take in order to force, prove or push.
INNER power is just there. Like a deep pool of still water deep within an inner cavern, waiting to be drawn from. This is what we connect into when we go the distance; when we are able to go beyond what we think are our limitations.
One of the main differences between Bad stress and Good stress is whether we’re using force (Bad stress) or INNER power (Good stress).
Force says push harder. Do more. Make it happen. Prove that you can. But power feels different. Power has nothing to prove because it is already part of your nature. It is the wholeness you were created from, the place within you that can meet life instead of constantly trying to make life happen.
So instead of asking yourself “How can I try harder?”, try asking yourself “How can I meet life where it’s showing me I need to be?”
As soon as we stop giving all our energy to effort, proving and pushing, we open up the space to connect to our INNER power. Using Force in life can become a habit to the point where we identify with it. And learning to use INNER power can be a change in habit.
This is where helping the nervous system to switch gears more easily becomes the easy choice (unless you like to work hard:)) NeuroSpinal Optimization is a process that helps your nervous system change the habits that have formed over time. The practitioner helps to create the possibility for nerve rewiring and the practice member helps with self-awareness and making different choices.
I Didn’t Know I Had IT In Me
Have you ever surprised yourself? Maybe there was a moment in your life when the rubber really hit the road—a big decision, an unexpected change, a difficult season, or simply a situation you didn’t feel prepared for. And yet, somehow, you found a way through.
You stayed the course. You persevered. You kept going when a part of you thought you couldn’t. Looking back, you may have wondered: “Where did that come from? I didn’t know I had that in me.”
The Voice in the Background
We all have thoughts that can sound like: Who do you think you are? You can’t do that.
You’re not capable of that. You don’t have IT in you.
Sometimes these thoughts have been with us for so long that we barely notice them anymore. They become like music playing quietly in the background. But our thoughts, beliefs and habitual responses don’t necessarily tell the whole story of who we are. Sometimes life gives us an opportunity to discover something different.
Think about a time when you found yourself doing something you never imagined you could do. What did you find within yourself? Energy? Focus? Stamina? Courage? Determination? Patience? Maybe even a little stubbornness? What was the IT that helped you meet that moment and come out the other side?
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What If It Was INNER Power?
What if what you discovered was your INNER power? When I use the word power here, I don’t mean power over someone or something. “Power over” often comes from a need to control, force, prove or push. It can be an outward expression of trying to create safety or certainty. INNER power is different.
INNER power doesn’t need to prove anything. It’s already there. I think of it like a deep, still pool of water within an inner cavern. It doesn’t need to be created. It simply needs to become accessible.
We may experience this part of ourselves when we are deeply present, when we trust ourselves, when we respond rather than react, or when we discover that we can meet a challenge without fighting our way through it.
Your Nervous System Knows the Difference
This is where our nervous system becomes an important part of the conversation. When we are accustomed to living in a state of pressure and pushing, our nervous system can become accustomed to that pattern too.
Do more. Try harder. Keep going. Don’t stop. Make it happen. There are times when mobilizing and taking action is exactly what life calls for. But what happens when pushing becomes our default?
What if the body never gets the message that it is safe to soften, pause, listen or recover? Wellness isn’t simply about doing more to achieve balance. Sometimes it is about becoming more available to ourselves—to notice what is happening in our body, to recognize our patterns, and to have more choice in how we respond.
From Force to Connection
Force says: “Push harder.” INNER power says: “Listen more deeply.” Force says:
“Make it happen.” INNER power says: “Meet what is here.”
Force can leave us feeling like we are constantly trying to get somewhere. INNER power invites us to connect with what is already present. So instead of always asking: “How can I try harder?” Perhaps we can begin asking: “How can I meet life where it’s showing me I need to be?” That question creates space. And sometimes, space is exactly what the nervous system needs.
Changing Our Patterns
Many of us develop patterns of responding to life without consciously choosing them. We may brace. We may hold our breath. We may tense. We may push through. We may ignore what our body is telling us. We may keep going long after our system is asking for something different.
These patterns aren’t necessarily wrong. At one point, they may have been useful ways of adapting to what life was asking of us. But a pattern that once served us may not always be the pattern we need today. This is one of the reasons nervous-system awareness can be so powerful. When we become more aware of our patterns, we create the possibility for something new.
NeuroSpinal Optimization and Nervous-System Awareness
NeuroSpinal Optimization is a gentle process that works with the nervous system and the patterns it has developed over time. Rather than forcing the body into a particular position or outcome, the practitioner works with the spine and nervous system in a way intended to support the body’s own capacity to adapt and reorganize.
And the practice member is an important part of the process. Awareness matters. Noticing matters. Making different choices matters. The goal isn’t to become a different person or to somehow “fix” yourself.
It is about creating an environment where you can become more aware of yourself and explore new possibilities in how you respond to life.
Maybe You Have More in You Than You Think
The next time you find yourself facing something that feels bigger than you, notice the first thought that appears. Is it: “I can’t do this.” “I’m not ready.” “I have to try harder.”
Or could you pause for a moment and become curious?
What else might be here? What does my body need right now? What happens if I stop pushing and start listening? What if I have more within me than I realize?
Because perhaps the strength you are looking for isn’t something you need to build.
Perhaps it is something you are learning to access. Your energy. Your resilience. Your capacity to adapt. Your awareness. Your INNER power. Maybe it has been there all along.
And maybe, just like so many of us have discovered at unexpected moments in life, you might surprise yourself.