by Rebecca Poole, Brisbane, Australia
My strength doesn’t come from my ability to bench press a weight. It certainly doesn’t come from my ability to fight. My strength isn’t in the size of my biceps or the width of my shoulders.
When I was young I thought I had to be physically muscular, athletic, rough and tough to be strong. My experience was that soft girls got walked over, teased, abused, and experienced inappropriate sexual behaviour from men. Understandably, this I didn’t want, so I chose toughness because I thought it was strength.
In my 20’s I began to ask myself “has this toughness really helped me in any way?” I still had experienced abuse and bullying. I still had experienced inappropriate sexual taunts and many, many unwanted breast and arse grabs by “friends” and strangers alike. It hadn’t really prevented any of these things as I thought it would when I was a little girl first experimenting with toughness.
Now at 30, I try something else. . . True Strength, what some might call INNER STRENGTH.
- The strength that allows you to KNOW what is true, just, loving or fair – and the strength that allows you to say ‘NO’ to what is not true, just, loving or fair.
- The strength to do this for yourself, and the strength to do this equally for others.
- The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one.
MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS. That feeling I get in the core of my being that tells me if something is TRUE or NOT. My strength is in my NO. This NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in.
Words on Serge Benhayon 
I recently experienced some intense anxiety which I felt came from my childhood, what I came to was I knew what I was sensing was not true and didn’t truly belong to human life, once I reassured myself of this knowing deep within me I felt it helped to alleviate the anxiousness and intenseness I was feeling. It is so important to cultivate this awareness and embracing of what we know in children and adults.
Short, sweet and simple. Much like when I know from my inner strength what is true and what is not.
‘No’ does not have to come with spite or a punch to be reckoned with.
It’s super empowering reading you Rebecca. Love what you shared about what true strength is about. It’s in this honouring of what we feel within, in our ability to read and discern…thank you
At the age of 62 I have at last come to understand that being tough or playing tough isn’t it and that I have mistakenly played this game all my life. It actually goes against the grain of who we all truly are. When we reconnect back to our fragility then we can feel our inner strength, which feels so solid that no matter what comes our way we can stand solid in what we know to be true.
“The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one.” This is the strength to feel the power of saying ‘yes’ to being who you are.
Our True-power comes with a forever Deepening-Humble-Appreciative-Ness of the inner equality of us all.
Inner strength is a valuable resource to re-align self with self. Without it and deep love for ourselves, we become wayward, self disregarding and fall back. With inner strength we see the game being played and constantly bring ourselves back to what is true.
“The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one” Opportunities to live this abound daily as we’re are tested and challenged to take easy street rather than stay aligned to self and reject what is not true.
When we see something that is not right we can react and fight it or we can come back to the truth and be in our true strength from knowing what is true.
Knowing what is true and reflecting this in how we move is true strength.
So true, we toughen up thinking it will protect us from life but it clearly does not, great example Rebecca and delivered with that knowingness.
We are witnessing this currently
“The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one.”
In our so called modern high tech 21st century society there is a Witch hunt in progress, and there are people who are willing to stand up and say no. They have become pariahs within their own communities but in years to come the world will know the truth. My question has to be why is it we always try to silence the messenger that comes with the truth of who we are and the origins we come from? Why are we so resistant to change even though we all know our current way of living isn’t working?
It is the quality of our No when we are aligned to truth that supports us even if we are the only one.
Yes Helen, quality is everything, even when saying No.
“The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one.” To stand out from the crowd and be the beacon of light takes great strength from the depths of our being. The pull to conform and be swayed by others is designed to take us away from ourselves. The call is to surrender always to love and what we know is true.
“This NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in.” It’s about trusting how we feel and if we can’t then exploring why and letting that go, like wanting to be liked and compromising our truth for example. It’s such a common theme to believe that to survive life the way it is we need to change who we are, when all along being all of who we are is what is truly supportive.
Our strength is not our capacity to defend ourselves, but our ability to remain true to us no matter what.
I feel my strongest when I’m connected and surrendered to my inner beauty and knowing. When I don’t doubt myself or give myself a hard time for getting it ‘wrong’. When I love and treasure who I am, not for what I do but the beauty I bring when I do it.
That’s lovely Rachel, I feel the same, my expression of my true inner self feels very beautiful to honour and deliver, as does trusting how I feel.
‘The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one.’ And that’s strength, the true kind the one that know what is true or not. Love how you’ve expressed this Rebecca, a reminder and inspiration for us all.
Opening our hearts to being still so we can feel our inner-strength is definitely very power-full and is what should be taught to all parents before giving birth so this form of energetic truth is passed on to us from birth and then through our youth.
Yes this is true education.
And so simple with amazing results as energy always comes first and when taught with an understanding of what divine energy of our essence by opening our heart can bring.
Sometimes you do not even have to say NO by the way you hold all around you in the respect to know they are amazing and maybe do not know or live it. It is saying yes to all that you know and feel inside.
Beautifully said Rebecca, for the integrity of our inner strength and knowingness is far more powerful than any brute force we can muster.
Knowing and accepting one’s knowingness and expressing it, is without doubt true power.
We all have this strength and mighty it is.
There is a deep wisdom and Sacredness that lies within each and every woman, some may have forgotten about these divine qualities we hold, but they are forever waiting for us to connect to them and live.
There is a knowingness in my body that I’m learning to honour. Sometimes it takes courage to listen and express from it but there is an authority, a simplicity and clarity there that holds me so much. The more I allow myself to express, stronger and steadier I feel in my body. Thank you Rebecca for your sharing about what true strenght is about.
Expressing the truth, we all know what is true, it is important for each of us to express that truth.
I so KNOW what you mean Rebecca. A knowing from my body feels complete, strong and stable and from there saying yes or no is simple and easy to do… unlike when I say I know something from my head, I can feel anxious after and doubt is often not far away.
Our strength is in speaking the truth that comes from our inner knowing of what the truth is for us, with no holding back.
Rebecca this is a great blog, our strength is truly in our own ability to know the truth and to say no to what we know not to be true.
True strength, built from a foundation of self-love and knowing energy. That’s real power Rebecca.
‘This NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in.’ This is a powerful reminder Rebecca that a woman’s strength has a beautiful and inspiring quality when it is truly lived.
Toughness can be never a strength because it comes from our desire to defend ourselves and, going defensive is an enormous offence to our being and to the everything it belongs to.
I have done tough all of my life and the more I go into that the more abuse comes my way. However, when I look after and honour myself- the more this same quality comes back to me in how others are with me.
Being able to totally trust what we feel and know is true makes us very strong, and that can only come from deepening our connection to the inner-most. True strength doesn’t require an enemy to prove its might. It stands beyond fighting and defending.
I agree Fumiyo. Being truly strong has nothing to do with imposing or defending anything, it’s all about connecting with our essence and trust with what it is there to be felt and expressed.
Yes Rebecca, I am finding so much strength in my gentleness, vulnerability and willingness to feel. Not qualities that I would have valued or wanted to openly express in the past.
Beautiful Debra. I judged vulnerability as a weakness in the past but I’m realizing that it’s very powerful when I honour it.
I can relate to this as well Debra. By allowing ourselves to feel vulnerable and to not hide it from others really does allow us to feel more and as a result not hold that back from other people. It’s actually very empowering, rather than disempowering which is how vulnerability is so often seen.
Sometimes NO comes easy, sometimes the NO feels like if I say it the world will end as I know it. The more I keep practising the NO in those latter moments, the more I realise that the world does not end, and even it becomes a bit messy, it still does not end. I keep upping my commitment to NO.
It’s a really good point Sarah, I’m sure many women cave and dishonour themselves by not saying “No” when they need to because they feel they are holding it together for everyone. In some of those situations the “No” might mean a mess whilst everyone adjusts and goes through whatever is there to learn, and it might even offer a step up. Sometimes we hold others back by not saying “No” and stepping in when we don’t truly feel to. Note to self 🙂
MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS. That feeling I get in the core of my being that tells me if something is TRUE or NOT. Powerfully expressed Rebecca: strength is all-knowing enabling us to say NO in many different ways, but always with authority.
Saying “No” because of what we feel is true is really just saying “Yes” to ourselves.
Thank you Melinda. A question to ask moment by moment is whether a choice is soul inspired or comes from forces outside ourselves. When we give ourselves space to feel what is true, we’re more likely to say Yes to ourselves.
It is becoming clear that there is no doubt that I know what is true in every moment. I make mistakes and not get some movements straightaway because of the lack of connection to myself but I know what love is and giving myself space and love at these times are crucial in supporting myself along the way.
Beautiful Caroline “but I know what love is’ Our relationship with self is a continuous process of unfolding and deepening. Observing where we are without judgement and knowing what love is supports us to return to ourselves again and again.
When we connect to and know our inner strength it allows us ‘to say no to what is not true’ – so true Rebecca.
The inner strength when you know who you truly are is very powerful and doesn’t use any physical muscle strength.
The strength you describe here comes from a delicateness and sweetness, that does indeed hold more power than we would expect.
Beautiful Rebecca – inspiring to read, and just what I needed to read. We do know what is true and what is not. The next thing is to express Yes to what is and No to what is not. To then hold that same quality in its delivery is what completes this movement of divine expression that lives naturally within. A great summary that shows life is Spherical and how we evolve each time we deliver!
Simple and powerfully delivered Rebecca! The power of this blog comes not from the words delivered, but from the livingness of the woman who lives every word that she writes. Thank you for the immense inspiration that you are!
This inner knowingness exists within each of us – all we need to do is claim it and the rest is taken care of.
This beauty of this strength is that it is available to us all, the downside is few realise this and thus seek a physical representation of it instead at great cost… for in truth this only provides the illusion of protection but it is only this knowingness that is equipped to face and address whatever life presents.
In my experience inner-strength has a steadiness and unwavering quality that doesn’t need any force behind it for it’s immense power to be felt.
I recall as a younger woman and deciding to ‘butch’ myself up as a form of protection, not to draw attention to myself, but all I did was reduce my own confidence n myself. True confidence has come from my inner knowing and the more I have let go of that protection the more confident I become.
My strength is in my knowing and in the absoluteness that this knowing brings, it stands on its own for it is true truth.
I have always thought that I need to be tough and do it all on my own. I am only learning now that my true strength is actually in honouring my sensitivity and allowing that to be seen by others. Also when I do this I am able to handle any situation as I am more honouring of myself and what I am feeling and then able to know what is needed in each moment.
As well as strength in the ‘no’ and ‘know’ there is also strength in ‘yes’ Saying ‘yes’ to true love and responsibility and all that comes with that.
What I am learning is to not say “No” to something untrue is also saying “No” to myself and who I truly am. For me when things feel off it’s because my marker is the love I feel within, if I honour this then I stay with that love.
So powerfully said and felt Rebecca. I believed that my strength came from what I could tolerate, how much I could ‘handle’ and be unaffected by what I felt was not true, how well i could just get on with it, or not showing my tenderness as I believed this was a sign of weakness, and how much I could fit into a day and do on my own. Regardless of this way of living, that I achieved quite well, I did not truly feel my strength as a woman. As with you I have discovered that true strength comes from within me, through my connection to my essence, through honoring my truth, my delicateness and sacredness as a woman. When I live with this connection I know who I am, I know what is true and feel the confidence to express the truth and say ‘no’ to what I know is not true. This quality of strength is one that supports and is healing for everyone. For the quality of true strength is an honoring of not only ourselves but is also an honouring of the truth of all of us.
Standing up for truth, saying No to what is not truth and being able to know the truth is definitely a strength we should be taught from day one.
Every step we take out of the withholding of truth from ourselves and others is to be deeply celebrated – for its reflection is so deeply needed by all.
What if we were fostered in our inner-knowing from the start of our lives? Our ability to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based in full on what we know to be true from within – ‘unwaveringly’ so, as you state so clearly here Rebecca?
Wow… I bet parents would learn a great deal from their children (and vice versa), our schoolyards and social media platforms would be very, very different places… and our relationships would be in a far more healthy place than they predominantly are now.
The expression of truth is tantamount to a healthy society – clearly, in sight of all of our ills, we have a lot yet to re-claim.
When we claim what we know and we live by that truth, saying No to whatever does not correspond to that quality we’ve claimed – as women we start to no longer be at the mercy of the world around us, but empowered to choose the quality of life that we want to live.
I always knew, however, it has taken me a life time to learn to say no.
The strength you talk of here Rebecca, brings with it clarity like I have never before experienced.
To know and accept that our inner strength is our greatest strength is very empowering indeed.
Our inner knowing is our greatest strength, as you so beautifully express Rebecca – to ignore this doesn’t work, to toughen up doesn’t work, to embrace this in full and to build this into our lives everyday is the true way forward.
“The strength that allows you to KNOW what is true, just, loving or fair”, and relying on ourselves and how we feel within is the key, it’s not about knowing the rules or clutching onto knowledge, it’s as you describe, a deep knowing within. The knowing is a confirmation that the truth already lives within us.
True strength does come from within and you can easily feel this in someone. Physical strength is one thing but it doesn’t protect you from being harmed or hurt. I don’t think we can prevent ourselves from feeling harm or hurt, it’s more how we deal with it that determines how affected we get. Being open and feeling things and being honest about what we feel makes us very strong to be able to deal with whatever comes our way in life.
The word strength has been reinterpreted and misused so much that we think it’s something that is the exact opposite to what it actually means. And children these days are being actively taught to be ‘resilient’ which is just another word for being ‘tough’ like you have described Rebecca. We need to be teaching children and emulating in ourselves, what it means to be truly strong, allowing our sensitivity to guide us through life and letting our knowingness lead the way.
A timeless article Rebecca,
The simpleness of trusting our knowingness is, as you say, our true strength. No amount of toughening up that I choose to live with in any way gave to me the steadiness I feel in my knowingness.
Hiding behind the protection of a tough facade did not protect me either and it is only since starting to re-connect to myself and explore my inner knowingness and strength that I have come to accept and understand that this is where true strength lies. In this quality I can stay open to the world but safe in the knowing of my ability to say No whenever I am presented with something that does not feel true.
Saying ‘No’ when you are the only one does take strength and it is a strength that builds the more we are willing follow our inner knowing.
True strength is definitely from within and energetic resilience can only come from releasing all the activities we do to keep us locked in old paradigms.
“MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS. That feeling I get in the core of my being that tells me if something is TRUE or NOT. My strength is in my NO. This NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in.” Beautiful post Rebecca.
The inner strength to say ‘Yes’ to truth.
Inner strength, is undeniable it also, once the palpable stillness of No and Knowing is felt, you understand what is on offer for all women.
I love the simplicity and power of this blog, Rebecca, especially your comment ‘MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS.’
There have been times when something was presented to me that I didn’t really want to say yes to, but felt it would not be totally unpleasant to ‘go along.’ But instead of doing what I’ve always done – ie, go along – I’ve chosen to say no, and boy does it feel amazing.
“This NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in” I really enjoy this Rebecca as strength is always unwavering, but do not ever think it is boring, for there are no rules in how strength is delivered, and the beauty is in the discovery of each and every moment in connection with ourselves.
Expressing No and in Knowing—recently I have discovered that this is actually my real job, there is never a dull or off moment in this job, it goes on every single day in all waking hours, and most of the time you are the only one, but this feels to be the natural way to live and to re-discover what being a woman means in life.
Well said Rebecca – ”My strength doesn’t come from my ability to bench press a weight. It certainly doesn’t come from my ability to fight. My strength isn’t in the size of my biceps or the width of my shoulders. . . True Strength, what some might call INNER STRENGTH.’
It’s amazing how when we say “No” we are actually confirming what we Know…that being true and loving, just and fair is a big “YES” to living life in a full and vibrant way that is accessible to all of us. We tend to make life very complicated about the rights and wrongs, yet when we stick to simple truths that are equally applicable to all, life becomes a flow that is easy to navigate our way through. Great blog, Rebecca….thank you for honouring and celebrating the strength of your knowing.
Rebecca I love this and feel it applies equally to men too, the strength is in a conviction of how we want to live, what we accept and what we don’t. It makes sense really when we see leaders who are not necessarily physically strong but very capable and unquestioning in their demeanour. Every single one of us can capture this strength in ourselves, and it is never more than a step away when we choose how we wish to live our lives.
That inner strength is definitely there, all it needs is for us to realise and accept how strong we are through knowing who we are. I felt my inner strength when I was young and it came out in protecting my siblings and knowing what was not appropriate behaviour.
Girls often had to endure behaviour that I didn’t tolerate even at that young age . I understand and appreciate that I listened to that inner knowing.
If we all reconnected to this inner strength and said no from our knowing then the world would be a very different place. Young girls and boys would see that this is their true strength and how important it is to nurture that instead of the myriad of unreal roles that are forced on them growing up.
Well said, Aimee. I was very much connected to my inner knowing as I grew up and adults would often comment on this “elusive” quality. Even in my teens, friends would comment on my inner strength and confidence and ask, “But how do you know?” To which I’d reply, “I just do”. Yet, as a woman I found it eroded away the more I tried to play the game in the world of relationships…the gender games and sexual tensions which did not celebrate or honour our intrinsic equality. I experienced a lot of challenging behaviours and even abusive situations that were in reaction to my holding of this inner strength. It was as a wife and mother, and in the “myriad of unreal roles” that it eroded even more as I learnt women were seen and treated as 2nd class citizens and this knowing I had always known, fell into confusion and self-doubt, the more I found myself struggling to prove my worth. My intuition was continually questioned and judged and I realised I was now a victim of a society that doesn’t truly value women for their innermost knowing. Reclaiming myself as a woman has meant reclaiming this solidness and strength I have always held within, as Rebecca has so beautifully described here. It is something that will never be eroded away again for now I am a conscious bearer of this true foundation.
I love the solidness in which you speak of your younger years Peta, what a role model you would have been to your peers. I can relate to the eroding away of my inner knowing when I became a mother, but looking at it now more honestly I see how I gave it up and pretended not to know because of other’s reactions. Pretending to not know only caused anxiety, frustration and affected everyone. Now I know without a doubt that we can re-connect and nurture our inner knowing at any time.
Peta I can see the how the games we play, the roles we take on get in the way of that quality of knowing and expressing that we all innately have. Like feeling we have to act out a certain way as a man or woman, mother or father, worker, partner etc. Often I find there is such a simple ease in taking it back to the fact that I do know what is right for me and any complication is just a result of trying to fit in with societal frameworks that I know are not true.
This inner strength is worth everything to focus on and bring forward in our lives.
It’s always been very strengthening and supportive for me to honour what I know and to say “No” when needed. It’s great to review this topic today to again confirm I do indeed know, and look at why I might weaken my body by ignoring what is right for me.
There is not only great power in saying no from an inner knowing that’s real strength as you so stunningly say is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in, but it is truly gorgeous to feel one so claimed that they say it with the authority of knowing what is true.
I loved your expression here Rebecca; such a quiet, strong inner presence, wisdom and knowing you convey; very inspirational.
The beauty of the inner strength is that it grows the more you act on it. So the depth of saying ‘no’ and the responsibility is constantly asking me to step up.
Beautifully said Felix. To strengthen it by acting on it where necessary.
So true Felix and I love how Rebecca describe the ‘No’ – MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS. That feeling I get in the core of my being that tells me if something is TRUE or NOT. My strength is in my NO. This NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in.
I love the solidness this is written from, I can feel Rebecca’s strength as a woman in this blog, and how knowing what true strength is can support her and has supported her.
Yes it’s a great way to understand strength does not have to be toughness or roughness or harshness. Being very sure of who you are is crucial, and backing yourself.
Love this strength you are referring to Rebecca. Welling up from a place deep within and not endowed on you from anyone or anything else. So very solid.
l can feel your powerful conviction in this blog Rebecca.The absoluteness is palpable.
Our true strength comes from the absoluteness of knowing who we truly are.
Yes Adam and committing to living and expressing that knowing daily.
Absolutely, Adam and Sarah, expressing that absoluteness in its true depths.
I know how I desensitised myself thinking that I was being strong. And I have used many ‘No’s to manoeuvre my way through life in reaction to what I didn’t want to accept in my reality. That strength felt hard, cold and wobbly – of course it did, it wasn’t mine to begin with. I am learning to re-connect to my true strength within.
I have known this fake toughness before as I used it to build an outer shell of hardness. I thought initially it would protect me but all it did was separate me. Fortunately I was inspired, which reignited my knowing of who i am within and the true strength that comes from being the love I am.
Absolutely Rebecca! Who needs a bench press when we have a solid knowing of our inner-self.
Rebecca, the two steps of inner strength knowing and expressing are equally important. An expression of No when coming from an absoluteness, this unwavering quality is first felt in its vibration and expressed from the whole body. No matter what sound or loudness this absoluteness is expressed, it has no hardness to it, but a deep solidity.
I agree Adele and Rebecca, and the absoluteness of the No comes with the Knowing of Truth.
A woman’s strengths is in her love for herself, her ability to take time to feel her knowing and express this. A woman has tremendous strength when she stays with herself and does not waver. Her knowing is immense. To give myself the time and space to honour what I know and move with this is what I’m working in.
I have found this to be true. When I thought I was at the mercy of the world, afraid of what might come, things did come at me and I was anxious about what might come next. As I develop my inner resolve and strength, those energies that came are put on notice. I am more aware of the power I have to make decisions about what I will have in my life.
Powerhouse Rebecca taking the stage
I find your article is inspiring and empowering !
Love this blog Rebecca. A woman’s strength comes from honouring her innate sacredness and from there how she walks, talks, indeed all of her expression will be true to this inner knowing – the power of Love is hers.
This is so beautiful Rebecca. I especially love the fact that truth can be a silent ‘No’ – it is the quality of that ‘No’ that is truly powerful. No judgment, no harshness – just an unwavering strength and commitment to what is true.
And may I add, this is a man’s real strength, too. A man’s strength is not in his muscle power either, although he is normally given more muscles than a woman and he may use these muscles wisely to support himself and others. A man’s real strength lies in his love.
Agreed felixschumacher8. Inner strength is so powerful in all humans but sadly many don’t realize that they possess it. I certainly was someone who looked at ‘strength’ via external markers in lots of ways and thought that inner strength was something related to being tough and hard and not letting others penetrate through. Of course this just built up hardness and stopped me from allowing love in or out. It’s a different story now but I wonder how much longer I might have persisted with this old cold way had I not come across the teachings and presentations of Universal Medicine.
“MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS. That feeling I get in the core of my being that tells me if something is TRUE or NOT”.
I love what you have written here Rebecca, such simplicity yet so much power.
Saying “no” is a work in progress for me; I am learning to say it with a love and quality that honours the other person and myself.
Beautifully said Rebecca, I am discovering the more the let go of the hardness and protection the more delicate and tender I become. The more delicate and tender I become I notice my inner strength and power grow and so does my ability to say ‘no’.
So true Anna for as we deepen the delicacy and tenderness of our connection with ourselves, our expression of those qualities and that sense of knowing what is true and what is not true is also correspondingly deepened.
Gorgeous blog, with such a profound yet simple message about true strength being our knowing what’s true, just and absolute. My take-away from it is most definitely the line, ‘The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one’. This is true strength to me – having the courage of your convictions to stand up, stand out and express what you know is true, fearless about the impact and without a need to control the outcome. Just living and expressing pure truth.
Thank you Rebecca for a really beautiful blog, I have been a yes person most of my life and a pleaser. On gradually learning to say no, when no was the truth, I had an opportunity to say no to my husband’s request, it was so in the moment, and so clean, so true, that we both laughted. A celebration of speaking the truth. I am no longer a yes, at any price, person.
So beautiful Rebecca. ‘The strength to know and say ‘no’, even if you are the only one.’ This bit seems a bit daunting for me, yet so powerful and so strong at the same time. It takes courage to stand by what you feel when everything else is going the other way. There is a mighty strength in that, that no one can deny. I’ll start learning that one.
Thank you for sharing this, strength lies in the way we know who we are and what is true or not.
The power of love, the love and honouring of self to trust and say what is deeply true and the love and respect equally of another to never hold back any part of that truth from them.
I liked this short but powerfull blog, the strength to follow the path of truth is real power.
And when inner strength is combined with the letting go of the shields and masks that we have ineffectually used to defend ourselves, replacing these defences with the delicacy and tenderness of regained innocence, then this is a beautiful thing for the world to see.
“…real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in.” Wow, this is such a powerful statement Rebecca.
The message this blog so clearly delivers is that it isn’t about ‘what you do’ but the quality of energy you are in when you do it….power from within!
Our power stands in our innate knowingness to say what we feel is right or wrong and that is where our inner strength lies. Just beautiful Rebecca.
YES I completely agree Rebecca and my strength is also in my YES. It is to say YES to love, yes to truth and yes to myself and my inner knowing. Through saying yes to love and truth I do not allow abuse.
This blog touches on something men know too well. There are many situations (e.g., young man meeting a young woman, man walking past a group of tough men) where men play with their upper torso to impress (or to deter) someone else about them. It is a bit like we learn to project an image of strength through our body that is certainly not true. Hard to explain but easy to observe. What we do is just to play a game; to transmit a message. Real strength has nothing to do with any of this.
Awesome awesome blog Rebecca and a divine reminder that our true strength is definitely our knowingness and from that knowingness, only wisdom and truth can flow.
Beautiful blog Rebecca. The word no, one of the smallest in the English language, often appears to be the hardest to say. I realise that in the past I have held back saying no purely out of guilt, with no consideration for myself; but no more, this little word comes very easily to me now, especially if saying yes will hurt me in any way whatsoever.
Such a sweet sharing Rebecca. Saying no is one of the hardest things to do, but by not saying no when something does not feel right is just simply not honouring our feelings and being true to ourselves, Then when we do it…. because if something doesn’t feel right then it is not true, and allowing ourselves to say no, this then frees up the other in truth.
Absolutely love this clear, powerful statement of lived truth Rebecca. True strength emanates from every word delivered.
I love this Rebecca, and the line “The strength to do this for yourself, and the strength to do this equally for others.” For me when I make it about everyone equally then there is a consistency to my unwavering strength, it doesn’t just dip in and out for me only. What’s true for me is true for everyone.
There is true strength and power in knowing who you are that doesn’t need any hardness to protect you. There is true beauty and strength in saying ‘Yes’ to the tenderness of who you are and treating yourself with tenderness. .
In your blog Rebecca I can feel both the ‘knowingness’ and the power of ‘NO!’
I love this! It is wonderful to feel Rebecca’s inner strength and what I get from reading and feeling this simple and powerful blog is that there is nothing more powerful than a woman claiming her knowingness.
Wow I feel the power and truth of what you wrote Rebecca, when we don’t stand up and speak up to all that goes on in the world that is not right, we are by our silence joining it or saying its OK. Even if it’s accepted and normal and we are the only ones saying no.
Awesome – I could actually feel your authority as I read your blog Rebecca. It’s true for men and women, muscles and toughness do not equal strength. True strength is a quality that comes from within, which has nothing to do with aggression, and all to do with self empowerment.
What is toughness really but an admission that one is struggling to cope with what they feel? If the world was only physical, then it would make sense to be as tough as nails. But it is obvious to all but the most ardent atheist that the world is much greater than that. As human beings we have the ability to feel much of life around us. We can feel another’s anger without a word being uttered. We can feel when something is up with someone else, and sense when someone is in the room with us. But this world is one that is not open to us if we choose to close the door to the very instrument that has the capacity to receive this never-ending communication from life around us – our body. And the only way to receive such communication is through tenderness. Through tenderness we create a body that is more open to being aware of what happens around us on the meta-physical level. Like a soft ear drum that is sensitive to sound, so is our body best when it is supple. Conversely, having a body that is hard helps us to cement the illusion that the world is just a purely physical experience, and that of course suits some, but never could one consider dulling down one’s sensory capacity an empowering experience if one understand it in this way. Of course it therefore stands to reason that tenderness and fragility is actually a strength, in that it allows us to tap into a form of awareness that allows us to realise that life is so much more expansive than we often acknowledge.
Beautifully said Adam and yes tenderness is a great and powerful strength.
The energy of your expression is so powerful Rebecca in this incredible blog, the absolute strength of a woman (or man) can be truly felt – you packed a fair punch in this one! It lovingly socked me right between the eyes so I can absolutely feel to my core that it is the KNOWINGNESS and saying no that is our absolute strength. Amazing blog. Thank you.
“MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS. That feeling I get in the core of my being that tells me if something is TRUE or NOT.”
Thank you Rebecca for sharing the truth of what is true strength- our inner knowingness. Thanks to Serge Benhayon I too have learnt how to connect to this, and I am learning to stand up for myself and express how I feel not from reaction but from love- this is what is so powerful!
When I was a teenager I thought being as tough as all the boys my age and being good at sport would protect me. It didn’t protect me from being emotionally hurt and it didn’t gain me any extra one on one time with my Dad. Through Universal Medicine I am learning that strength comes from your inner most, your true connection with yourself and listening to your body.
Hi Rebecca, Thankyou for writing this gorgeous post! I loved reading about the quiet ‘no’s, which then can be impulsed to be a voiced ‘no’ when I need to speak with others. I love the quiet ‘no’s – they feel solid and good in my body.
I know I know, as we all do. It has been building self love and self care with responsibility that is supporting me to trust and be confident in my knowing.
If our body says NO to a feeling that becomes a big YES in supporting our true selves and we do KNOW, and thank you Rebecca for stating it so clearly.
Awesome reminder this morning for me Rebecca – just what I needed to read! The true strength that lies within and that can be more deeply activated by the simple intention to stay true, know that something is true and stand by it. To say NO and to know, no matter what the rest of the world says.
Beautiful Rebecca. The quiet no’s are so very powerful. Even if the no isn’t said out loud, I have honoured my feelings and in that stayed true to myself. This is part of my everyday now.
I absolutely agree Vicky, the quiet no’s are so very powerful and it is lovely to have this confirmed.
I agree Vicky, there is a strength in knowing that no matter what comes at us during our days, or how if it is said out loud or not, that no means no.
I love the simplicity-profundity combo of your message and how it gives back responsiblity to ourselves for knowing what is completely true for us rather than defaulting to some adopted external sense of what is right or good. Just how different would lives be if your message, your teaching, were part of life’s school curriculum at an early age, forming and informing our thoughts and feelings as we work through making sense of our world and our place in it?
Precious gold Rebecca reading this, loved every word of it and relished in your expression and claiming of what is our true strength. No muscle power can compare truly with the inner strength we all have the potential to hold when we honour what we feel and not hold back from expressing the truth from our entire body.
Rebecca I completely agree and have been pondering for a while the things that get in the way of my ability to say no. I am getting much, much better at it but in the past I feel that my lack of self worth has greatly hindered my ability to say no. I have felt at times that it has been other things, such as not wanting confrontation, not being strong enough but I am coming to feel that as I build more love for myself then this gives me the strength to be able to say no whatever the ramifications.
Rebecca, great blog, we know, we always do, and it’s about learning to trust and live from that knowingness. Reading this, I feel the strength of how much you’ve connected to and live that knowingness, thank you for sharing, and reminding me that I too know.
Thank you for your inspiration to always express what feels right – even if it is uncomfortable or disturbing others.
I agree steffihenn we often hold back expressing our truth to avoid uncomfortable situations. In that moment we are accepting what we should be saying no to.
Wow what a powerhouse this blog, we sure KNOW, we do all the time, we just have to listen to it.
Thank you Rebecca – this is so empowering to read and feel, the true strength is knowing what is true and loving and not in what I can physically do or not. True power is in honouring this innate knowingness.
Great blog Rebecca Poole and it led me to realise that so often we let things go or stand even when we know they don’t feel right because some other element comes in whether it be self doubt, sympathy or a feeling we deserved what happened in some way. It occurs to me that when we really claim and develop the awareness of the true strength of our knowingness there is no room for any of these and so the power of the ‘no’ is great indeed.
Great points that you make hear andrewmonney26. The self doubt can be an absolute killer and I know for me can send me spiralling. There is such importance in staying with what we feel in our bodies as our truth.
Absolutely loved this powerful and beautiful sharing Rebecca. I love how when we say no to something that is not true for us, means we are saying yes and confirming our naturally Divine, glorious and powerful selves.
So true Julie, saying no is actually saying yes ! I love it ~ saying yes to truth and no to the lies, mistruths and I’ll energies at play
Yes Julie and Rebecca. Our strength is our knowingness that gives us the power to say No, to not put up with less than we deserve, and to walk tall in the certainty that we are enough as we are.
Yes there is an enormous strength in saying no to what is not true and what doesn’t support us in any form in our life. It is a true responsibility that I feel to say no to things that are not right, and I sometimes don’t take this responsibility, this is feeling more and more unnatural in my body, because it is.
If women were to live their knowingness the world would change overnight.
Thank you Rebecca for expressing this so simply but powerfully. The strength I have found when I have claimed my knowingness to say No to what is not true is so much stronger than the false tough exterior I presented to the world for so many years.
Rebecca, your last paragraph contains all the strength a women will ever need ‘NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in’.
Wow yes, claiming that ‘knowingness’ certainly feels like true strength to me too! Thank you for sharing this Rebecca.
There is a simple yet powerful strength in what you have written here Rebecca. Beautiful.
Awesome Rebecca, inner strength is unbreakable, yet soft and tender, and that inner knowing is very powerful, opening and loving. I love what you’ve shared, thank you.
Often strength, when one considers training, toughness and hardness that it requires, is a drain, an expenditure of an energy or force in order to deliver that strength – like feeling ‘spent’ after a gym class. In the moments I listen to that inner knowingness there is a strength that is not draining but supportive and steady. And I appreciate coming back to this blog as it reminds me that this is where true strength lies. Thank you Rebecca.
Rebecca, your strength can be felt in your writing – so beautifully and simply expressed, with a great ‘punch’ line.
Thank you Rebecca for sharing this powerful blog, saying yes to what we truly know is it and no to what is not it, is all powerful for women and men
I agree Paul, it is very powerful indeed. This is an inspiring blog, to know when to say ‘no’, when we feel that something is not true and to have the strength to deliver it with quality is very powerful. I am learning how to say ‘no’ to things in my life that aren’t true for me, with this unwavering quality that Rebecca so beautifully shared.
I KNOW that true strength comes from within, from my connection with my innermost where I can feel that I am part of something that is much bigger than I am on my own and from that I can say NO to what I KNOW is not right for me. Thank you for bringing this understanding to me Rebecca Poole.
Love these words Rebecca, they are so powerfully assembled: “A woman’s strength is ‘KNOW’ and ‘NO’” – how amazing if we were taught or held in this truth from young instead of saying yes to look good or ‘be good’, dishonouring what we know. And in this strength how would our connection and treatment be with each other as men and women, partners, parents, colleagues, bosses, politicians who govern economies. Knowing and saying no would change to truth all relationships, and so the world. Wow.
Love this Zofia ‘Knowing and saying no would change to truth all relationships, and so the world.’ This is a world I want to live in and this can happen as we all start taking responsibility for expressing what is not true.
Thank you Rebecca, this is beautiful. I grew up believing that strength came from being tough and driven and not showing my fragility or tenderness. However I have learnt that our true power comes from within naturally, when we are connected to our essence and so our wisdom, and that here there is no effort required. And I love how you have said – ‘MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS.’ – so true.
Having a strength is something I have always wanted but never knew how to get it – since being introduced to esoteric medicine I have been learning to get that strength. First you have to build your self love which steadily I have been doing and I can feel that strength building in me. Thank you Rebecca for your blog, it helps me appreciate I am not a yes person anymore.
You are a powerhouse Rebecca and I agree to every word you wrote in your blog. “My strength is in my NO. This NO can be loud, quiet or silent because its real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in.” There is nothing more to say!!!!!
A beautiful piece Rebecca. As a teenager I also tried toughness and hardness as a way to protect myself. I appreciate your description of True Strength and Inner Strength. It is a strength that is true but that honours our sensitivity and gentleness.
Powerful Rebecca! This is True Power. In reading this, especially your last paragraph there is a very clear knowing of what is true and not true that I can resonate with. The question is – Why do we not live like this ALL of the time?
Rebecca, reading your blog I could feel the power and STRENGTH behind your words and the fact that you live what you have written. It felt like there are many layers here for me to reflect on, especially your comment ‘MY strength is in my KNOWINGNESS.’. Thank you!
Rebecca, I very much relate to the image of what you thought was a way to survive in the world. I too felt, that if I showed my vulnerability and was not tough and strong, that I would be walked all over. Now that I am older and wiser, I realise my strength is in my vunerability, and this feels so freeing in my body.
I can feel the power of the ‘no’ that you ‘know’ Rebecca and it is both an inspiration and a powerful reminder – thankyou.
Rebecca this blog is so solid within its truth. Our strength is in our knowingness Yes, Yes and Yes!
This is very powerful, Rebecca. “My strength is in my KNOWINGNESS”, yes, indeed, could not agree more. Thank you very much for writing this.
Brilliant. If I am not able to say ‘no’, my ‘yes’ becomes meaningless.
Just a gorgeous article and such a powerful reminder of our inner strength coming from the unwavering quality and delivery of our expression. Thank you.
So true, thank you for sharing this Rebecca.
Short, sweet and powerful, thanks Rebecca. This inner strength is something I’m relearning and surprising to me is, I’m finding it feels gentle. Who would have thought strength could be gentle.
Wow!
A powerful article. I love the clarity you bring on true strength , that it is an inner knowing from your core whether it is true or not.
So well captured, “real strength is in the unwavering quality it is delivered in”. I feel it is the unwavering certainty, the absoluteness of knowing that permeates throughout one´s body that is expressed how ever it is needed.
Toughness can be brittle and easily cracked but strength can be flexible and hold firm and regain its shape when pressure is put upon it. Knowing when to say ‘No’ to others and yourself is true inner strength. Thank you Rebecca.
This quote is true for both men and women, true strength comes from an inner knowing and trust in ourselves. “True Strength, what some might call INNER STRENGTH”. Learning to say ‘no’ if something does not feel right, is deeply empowering and something that I am learning and sharing with my children. Knowing what is not loving and truthful is vital to having healthy and harmonious relationships.
Reading it again I an struck by your description of true strength and how powerful it is. I find it very inspiring.
The strength in these words can be tangibly felt. I would say that I have an issue saying No but what if I have been saying no, just in the wrong way? Saying no to feeling how I truly feel has certainly left me with that result of not feeling. So how would saying no to not ignoring how I feel feel? I already feel different just pausing on that question.
I love it Rebecca. Your words are very inspiring and powerful and I can really feel the strength and quality in them. Thank you for sharing.
Ooh I love this Rebecca, Know and NO. This I take with me since I can feel and know. Thank you
Rebecca I love your definition of true strength, to know and say an absolute ‘no’ to what is not right and not true. I agree you do not need huge muscles to be hugely powerful.
I completely relate to what your saying, the investment in physical toughness as a woman, rather than true strength, saying no when something doesn’t feel right, and building the inner strength and respect for our bodies is the most impotent investment a women can make.
I used to pride myself on being tough and having a ‘Don’t mess with me attitude’ but all that has done is harden my body so I don’t actually feel my inner feelings. Through a step by step process of opening up and letting go, I am finding that the true strength is coming from within. This is much more powerful and in fact loving.
I agree shevonsimon – something I am still working on is accepting that the strength within me, and the love and can express towards my self is far greater than any outward strength or any love that can be given to me.
Rebecca, awesome I love it, to truly know and being able to say no. So simple and so key.
Thank you for this AWESOME post Rebecca.
It has taken me 40 years + to come to the same conclusion and yes, nothing compares to this (true) strength even though I am still not exercising its total power.
‘ the unwavering quality it is delivered in.’- So true and I love it… May we all KNOW the power of our true inner-strength and claim it every step of the way!
Thank you Rebecca
The real strength of our KNOWINGNESS is in its unwavering quality. Who could ask for anything more? Thanks, Rebecca.
Awesome Rebecca, there is no greater strength, in my experience it is a strength that easily co-exists with fragility.
Hi Rebecca, I love honouring and feeling the KNOWINGNESS you describe. I too have experienced the strength of saying no and also the strength of saying yes. I find that if I can’t say “no” then I can’t say a true “yes” either. I have also found that saying no to something that does not support me is in fact saying yes to myself.
So true!
A no can be a yes to yourself.
I love it
I love it too Nicola – beautifully put!
Beautifully put Nicola. Love the feeling that saying no can be “in fact saying yes to myself”.
Perfectly put Nicola! When we say NO with love, we are actually saying YES to love and NO to what is not.
Beautifully said Liane!
I agree Liane and in truth there is only really a YES and no no!!! so the question always is what are we saying yes to?
So beautifully expressed Nicola. Saying no to something can truly be a wonderfully loving yes to ourselves. Awesome.
Absolutely Nicola, I totally agree. ‘saying no to something that does not support me is in fact saying yes to myself.’ I have found this oh so true. Getting to know what supports us and allows us to grow in turn allows us to see what doesn’t support us so that we can see and feel it clearly and then say No.
Great point Nicola and it brings the aspect of confirmation and appreciation in as we say ‘yes’ to what we know is love and by saying ‘yes’ to the what is we say ‘no’ to the what is not. I often feel that a ‘no’ comes more from needing a stop and then the ‘yes’ is living in the confirmation of who we truly are.
A beautiful testament to how what we adopted to protect ourselves from the outside was actually upside-down and inside-out – a beautiful and strong discovery of how we truly protect ourselves and others from our inner-knowing and our unwavering loving stand. Thanks Rebecca.
I love that you have found your strength and left the toughness behind.
Very powerful Rebecca, thank you for the beautiful reminder of what true strength is. In our connection first and foremost.
Beautiful ….