"There are many types of bread," Tony said with a flourish of his index finger, giving it a little spin and pointing upward. "Today we will learn how to bake the most basic kind, but, of course, bake it to perfection." He stood behind his counter in the studio. Cameras moved in and out to catch his every motion and smile. "There is only one way to bake bread,'' he continued with a grin. "First, you must want to do it. Second, you must have flour, water, yeast and salt."

So began another of Tony's delightful cooking courses. Across the city, novice and expert cooks alike took notes or stood in their own kitchens, following Tony step by step.

"First, mix the yeast, flour and water, like this." He demonstrated, roughly measuring each ingredient and stirring it in with a wooden spoon. "Then put the dough on a countertop, like this, and begin sprinkling in more flour," he said. "Knead the dough as you do, using your hands and arms as well as your fingers, like this." His body rocked rhythmically back and forth as he lovingly kneaded the lump of dough, which was growing softer and more malleable.

"Don't forget to add a little salt and maybe a little sugar," he continued. "So much of baking is personal taste. Experiment. Let yourself be guided. It's your bread you're baking."

Creating authentic power is like baking bread. First, you have to want to do it. Then you need to follow the recipe. If you do these things, you'll have lots of opportunities to experiment and be guided by your inner promptings. As with bread, it's your own loaf that you are baking. Unlike bread, no one else can bake it for you.

The recipe for authentic power is as simple as the recipe for bread—harmony, cooperation, sharing and reverence for Life. Those are the ingredients. How you put them together depends upon you, but without all of them, authentic power is not possible any more than bread is possible without the ingredients that are required to make it.

This is how to do it. First, clear the countertop of everything but what you will need to "bake" authentic power. That means put every intention aside for the moment except the intentions to create harmony, cooperation, sharing and reverence for Life.

Second, keep doing it.

Soon you will start to create some harmony, cooperation, sharing and reverence for Life. The bread is baking. Eventually, you will create these things moment by moment, choice by choice. That is authentic power. Experiences of fulfillment, meaning and awareness can be created. This is big news.

Next: The importance of practicing authentic power

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