Do you want them to feel powerful?

Years ago, I remember being near some elementary school teachers as they were picking out a set of connection cards to give to their students. You are Awesome, You are Amazing, You are Important, and others all went into the stack.

Then they got to You are Powerful.

"Nope. No way am I encouraging that in my classroom," one of them said. And the card stayed in the box.

I was disappointed.

I suspected they were thinking of the students who already exercised "power" in loud and disruptive ways. Why encourage classroom behavior that would make teaching even harder?

But to me, that's not what You are Powerful is about.

For me, feeling powerful is about having a sense of freedom and agency. Not to make things difficult for other people, but simply to have a say in my own life. 

A sense of power motivates me to act toward the things that matter to me, because I believe it will make a difference. 

The more truly powerful I feel, the less I want to harm or control other people. The more powerful I feel, the more I want other people to feel powerful, too. 

And the more powerful we all feel, the more likely we will be to bring forth the best of ourselves to meet the challenges of the world.

This is absolutely something I want to encourage, in kids and adults alike. And here's one small way:

This is my newest addition to the Signs of Kindness collection. If you would like your own (or any of the other 20 messages), you can place an order here. Or if you're in the Metrowest Boston area, borrow one free for two weeks.

This week may you also look for other opportunities to remind people of their power, strength, resilience, and worth.

And may you be reminded of yours.