Self empowerment can take on many different forms and the term doesn’t have a universal definition. For each and every person, self empowerment will look and feel a little different. Here at Morale, we like to think of it as being aware of your own abilities and confident in your actions, taking control of your life and making positive choices. And no matter what, always keeping faith in yourself.
Self empowerment gives you the motivation to make things happen, without the debilitating fear of failure, or even worse… not trying at all! The more you do, the more confidence will be instilled within you and soon you’ll be totally winning at life. Think of yourself as your own cheerleader. Whatever you do, do it with energy and the confidence that you will achieve, and get ready to start shaking those pom poms.
What is self empowerment?
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined”
-Henry David Thoreau
Personal empowerment, or empowerment of the self, is closely attributed to self esteem. Believing you are capable and maintaining confidence in your skillsets and abilities is the first step to building belief in yourself and having the drive to tackle any task or challenge. However, just believing you’ve got what it takes doesn’t necessarily produce the results right away. True empowerment comes when you convert intention into action.
Just because self empowerment is an inner act, that doesn’t mean you’ve got to go it alone. Contrary to popular belief, self empowerment isn’t a lonely journey and you’ll most probably need some outside support to truly obtain the level of self empowerment we’re looking for. Whilst you do need to be your own biggest cheerleader, cheerleaders always need a team around them. Having some of your nearest and dearest shaking some pom poms alongside you will go a long way to building your self esteem and give you the confidence to act on it.
What empowerment isn’t, is entitlement. People who feel entitled often believe that they should reap all the rewards without the hard graft it usually takes to get there. Empowerment is acknowledging the work you’ve got to do whilst staying faithful to your own limitless ability. Success is earned through hard work and dedication.
Self empowerment 101
There are tonnes of tips and tricks to achieve self empowerment, and once you’ve harnessed it, anything becomes possible. It sounds cheesy but we’re telling the truth! Before you can really put the learning into practice though, there are a few steps to go through to make sure what you’re doing is effective. Knowing who you are and what you want are two entry-level requirements for self empowerment. Practicing these easy steps first, before you dive into the self empowerment exercises, will keep you on track and make sure you’re on track to dominating your world.
Step 1: Know who you are
The key to developing self empowerment, is self awareness. Know who you are and what you stand for is necessary to have the confidence to make conscious decisions and control your destiny. Identify what your values and priorities are and apply these to every decision you make. The more you do this, the more you will realise the influence your choices have on your ability to live a successful and fulfilling life.
The more authentically you live, the more powerful you will become. By staying true to yourself you will have a greater impact on your life and the lives of those around you, rather than wasting your precious energy trying to embody someone else.
Step 2: Identify your goals
This can be a little overwhelming, so let’s break it down for you. Start by pinpointing any areas you currently feel unhappy or unsatisfied in your life. This is your starting line, before you make any big plans for your future goals, to truly embrace self empowerment you need to be content with where you are at in life to avoid getting disheartened or losing motivation. Once you’ve identified what is getting you down, these become your primary goals. Your larger goals and aspirations will work alongside that, by achieving your smaller goals you are already making steps towards your grander plans so don’t lose the faith.
Step 3: Claim your skills
Revisit your goals and think about all the skills required to smash them out of the park. List the ones you’ve already got, and the ones you think could be improved. This will give you something tangible to work with, you know you’re already most of the way there with the skills you’ve got and you’re actively working towards the rest. This will give you confidence that you’ve got what it takes to achieve your goals and self empowerment will follow.
Step 4: Activate a positive mindset
We know we said that self empowerment is about taking control of your life, but sometimes life throws us all a curve ball or two. Whilst we can’t always control these hiccups, what we can control is how we respond to them. Building a positive mindset will fortify your against adversity and allow you the space to deal with them accordingly, without it railroading your progress or depleting your self esteem.
Now that you’re fully in tune with yourself, it’s time for us to put our affirmations where our mouth is. Here are some of the best exercises to help you achieve self empowerment:
Journaling
Keeping a record of your thoughts, feelings, and progress can help to keep you on track and moving in the right direction. If you find yourself feeling a little disheartened or losing a bit of faith, just flick back through your journal and remind yourself how far you’ve come. Journaling and positivity planning helps to keep your rooted in the present, and prevents you from dwelling on the past or unhelpful ‘what ifs’ clouding your judgement and hindering your self empowerment.
Positive Affirmations
Using positive affirmation cards can help to instil a stronghold in your mind, allowing you to deal with adversity with resilience and confidence as well as unlocking your inner ability to achieve your goals. Affirmations are a powerful tool if used every day to give your mindset a pep talk and boost belief in your ability. Practicing positive affirmations will give you the confidence that you can do anything, exactly what self empowerment thrives on!
Mindmapping
Using the goals you identified in the previous task, write down three steps that you can take to achieve these goals. The trick with this one is to make the goals attainable, don’t put down anything too testing or in the far-off distance. Make sure they’re doable and achievable now, that way you won’t fizzle out and you can look back and actively see the progress you’re making. This will give you the self empowerment to keep going, you’re already on your way.
Exercise
I know we use this one a lot, but the truth is, it’s like gold dust! Going for a walk, working out, riding a bike, just get outside and be active. Doing exercise releases positive hormones called endorphins which boost your mood. If your body feels good, you will feel good and ultimately you’ll feel more powerful and productive.
Share the love
What goes around, comes around… ever heard that one before? Donating some of our energy to others around us will mould the environment we find ourselves in and will, in time, come back around. Make sure your network is made up of people who genuinely support you, nurture your journey, and want to see you succeed. Support each other and become your own cheerleading squad, shake your pom poms for someone else in your network and they’ll shake their pom poms for you. Whilst the road to self empowerment is an inward one, it always helps to have a little support from those around you.
Sharing the love resonates with us at Morale, and that’s what we do best. We believe everyone has the power to harness self empowerment. With the right tools, you can find the power to seize each day and take your life into your own hands. And so can everyone else! By downloading our app, you can support those closest to you on their journey to self empowerment. By sending out a positive affirmation every day, you are doing your bit to shake those pom poms and help someone you care about take control of their life too.
An affirmation a day keeps the doctor away! Download our app from Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
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Fancy some more information or have some feedback for us? Send us an email to contact@moraleapp.co, we’d love to hear from you.
