Your true Self, which is your spirit, your soul, is completely free of those things. It is immune to criticism, it is unfearful of any challenge, and it feels beneath no one. And yet, it is also humble and feels superior to no one, because it recognizes that everyone else is the same Self, the same spirit in different disguises. In self-referral, you experience your true being, which is unfearful of any challenge, has respect for all people, and feels beneath no one. Self-power is therefore true power.
Power based on object-referral, however, is false power.
Being ego-based power, it lasts only as long as the object of reference is there. If you have a certain title if you re the president of the country or the chairman of a corporation or if you have a lot of money, the power you enjoy goes with the title, with the job, with the money. Ego-based power will only last as long as those things last. As soon as the title, the job, the money go away, so does the power. Self-power, on the other hand, is permanent, because it is based on the knowledge of the Self.