Book: Tapping (Back Into) Your Power

Oooo, ladies. Have I got a recommendation for you!  

You may have read this book years ago, like I did. But, I recently have been keeping it on my nightstand all the time. The book, you ask? The Princessa by Harriet Rubin. This book is Machiavelli for women. Have you read it? 

I cannot even begin to do justice to this book with an explanation. But, suffice to say that it goes into strategies and tactics for building your own personal power (without just adopting more male energy.)

What has this got to do with being married later in life? Let me explain…

I first read this when I was in my late 20s. To sum up my 20s, I share with you what my mother said to me recently about who I was back then. You were worried, she said. All the time. Yep – that just about sums it up. I believe this is because we, in our 20s, are doing most things for the first time. So we are in a constant state of having to figure out what to do next. It’s not a very comforting decade.

But, now, even though I am reaching the mid point of my life, I am once again finding myself doing something rather big (read: marriage) that has me trying to figure things out, daily. It is sometimes worrying.

For one – and this is where getting back in touch with your own personal power and confidence is key – LBBs often find themselves swimming in this question: If I do XYZ, am I compromising myself thereby chipping away at who I am? Or is doing XYZ just adding value to the marriage and it really is no biggie? Another way to put it is, am I being selfish or am I staying true to myself? Hmmmm.

So, during those questioning times, I re-read parts of the Princessa. It just makes me feel better. It doesn’t necessarily give me answers. But, it reminds me that I am not powerless. And, sometimes that is all you need.

The book is short, and you can read the whole thing in one sitting. You can keep a copy of it in your purse (which Husband affectionately calls my suitcase) for those daily trying times. So, next time you feel the need for a power boost, I encourage you to pick it up.