When you always push yourself to do more and to be better, it is impossible to stand in your power, to adopt that way of life in which you treat yourself and others with kindness, acceptance and love. Standing in your power gives you a gentle strength that comes from within, regardless of what others might think of you, or you of them.
This article, How to Stand in Your Power and Stop Giving It Away from The Huffington Post, defines very nicely how it feels. The writer offers several practices on how to get there. These are good recommendations, and for many years I too have applied them in order to achieve this blissful state.
Alas. It didn’t work for me. Each time I thought I nearly got it, I found myself dragged back into my negative state. Because the flipside of wanting to be better is that you keep telling yourself you’re not good enough. It was only when I discovered what really was blocking me, and how to let go of it, that I started to change profoundly. My inner critic is finally silent, and instead of turmoil, I feel calm and at peace with myself. I feel like a different person.