The Force Within: Recalibrating Your Inner Power

On May 4th, Star Wars fans everywhere will be quoting Yoda, re-watching favorite scenes, and celebrating the Force. But here’s something to consider: The Force is strong in you, too.  

Yoda may have looked at Luke and said,

  “The Force is strong in this one.”

  But I believe that truth applies to all of us.

The Force isn’t just movie magic - it’s a symbol.  

A metaphor for the strength, creativity, intuition, and clarity already alive inside you.  

It’s the internal energy that guides you, grounds you, and calls you forward.

But somewhere along the way, many of us lost our connection to it. We traded presence for performance. We got caught in roles - leader, parent, partner, caregiver, puppy raiser - and began to define ourselves by what we do, rather than who we are.

As a coach with over two decades of experience in occupational therapy, with a focus in mental health, I’ve had the privilege of working with so many capable, gifted, and generous people. But ask them what their true strengths are, and not just in their roles, they often pause. Or go blank. Not because they lack strength or talent. But because they’ve forgotten who they are beneath all the hats they wear.

They’ve been told to follow the rules. To play it safe. To be “realistic.”  And in doing so, they silenced the very thing that makes them extraordinary: their intuition. Their imagination.  Their Force.

We don’t always feel strong. Especially as adults, when the galaxy of responsibility is heavy. When expectations cloud our vision. When we’re just trying to keep up.

The truth is we’ve been conditioned to do more, rather than be more present.

We’ve learned to value output over alignment.

We hustle through goals without pausing to ask: do they even light me up anymore?

We operate on autopilot, forgetting that our deepest power doesn’t come from proving - but from remembering.

Remembering who we are.

Remembering what it feels like to be alive and aligned.

Remembering that the Force was never out there, it was within us the whole time.

How Do We Reconnect with the Force Within?

If you’ve ever watched a Jedi, you’ll notice something:

They pause before they act.

They breathe. They Sense. They Listen.

That pause, that moment of tuning in, isn't weakness.

It’s wisdom.

It’s alignment.

And that’s what recalibration is.

Not changing who you are, but realigning with who you are.

Here’s where to start:

·         Pause – Step back from the noise, even briefly.

·         Reflect – What lit you up as a child? What energizes you now?

·         Reclaim – Your voice. Your creativity. Your inner knowing.

·         Align – Choose actions that reflect who you are, not just what you do.

·         Fuel – Surround yourself with people and spaces that breathe life back into you.

Because the Force doesn’t respond to hustle.

It responds to alignment.

Questions to Ask Yourself This Week

·         What part of me have I quieted in order to play a role?

·         What blocks my Force - fear, doubt, old patterns?

·         How can creativity, mindfulness, or a purposeful pause help me tune back in?

·         Am I operating from the light side or have I slipped into the dark side of burnout, bitterness, or resistance?

·         What would shift if I trusted the Force within me?

Yoda had it right:

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

 It’s not about perfection - it’s about presence.

It’s about remembering that you are a luminous being. Not just the to-do list. Not just the title.

May the Force Be Within You

This May 4th, don’t just say “May the “Fourth” be with you.”

Say: “May the Force be within me.”

Then ask: What part of me is ready to wake up again?

 If the answer isn’t clear, that’s okay.

That’s what I help people do: rediscover their spark, reconnect with purpose, and recalibrate their leadership from the inside out.

💬 Let’s talk. https://calendly.com/tinkernlv/30_min

Whether you’re navigating transition, re-evaluating what’s next, or simply feeling disconnected from yourself - The Force is within you.

It always has been.

Let’s wake it up together.

“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.”

—Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back