“The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated. How you carry yourself reflects what you think of yourself. If you ask for little, shuffle your feet and lower your head, people will assume this reflects your character.”
The 48 Laws of Power – Robert Green and Joost ElfersHis
Well, he’s arrived and he has a name: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.
There you have it. Third in line to be the King of England. Maybe the Queen will skip Charles altogether and go straight to Prince William when she gives up her spot. Then George might have a chance to “rule.” We here in America tend to pooh-pooh all the fuss. I don’t know, for some reason I think it’s all kind of cool. As I watched Kate and William bring the baby out for the first showing, I thought to myself, “Not long ago, Kate could have had reason to worry about the safety of her newborn. Intrigue and murder and infantacide was possible in the not too distant English past.”
But in watching this couple, you have to admit, they have a certain bearing. I’m sure they have their not-so-royal moments of anger and frustration and every other thing. But in public they walk about in seeming confidence and contentment and serenity. Someone else worries about the car and the laundry and I think the English people pay the mortgage on their houses or they get it as part of their allowance or something. But they probably have other things we don’t know about to fret about.
But here’s the thing: The way they “carry themselves” fosters a feeling of admiration and respect and power. It makes me ask, “How do I carry myself? What kind of response do I foster?”
The book mentioned above, The 48 Laws of Power is a treasure trove of tips for getting what you want. I do not agree with everything in this book and it must be taken with a hearty dose of common sense, but the concepts are so appropriate for living day to day … and especially for women who have been feeling powerless or at least less powerful than we want to feel. So much of what happens in a midlife divorce makes you feel hesitant, insecure, and weak. But by simply carrying ourselves confidently and, as the authors of this book say, by adopting the “Columbus attitude” … we become buoyant, confident, above the crowd and destined for greatness. This attitude has nothing to do with conceit or arrogance. It exudes, instead, assurance, dignity, tranquility and worth. Remember this, you ARE a child of a king! Act like it! Don’t let the arrogance, selfishness or bad behavior of anyone else throw you off or disturb your poise. In reality, whoever is causing you trouble will be amazed and astounded whether they admit it or not… and you gain everyone’s respect. The worse those around you are acting, the more influence you have when you continue to carry yourself like the noble person you are.
“So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. … Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ – that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.”
Colossians 3:1-2 (The Message)
