Thursday, March 17, 2011

Def: empower |emˈpou(-ə)r| verb



Every now and then a catch phrase comes along that it seems like everyone starts tossing around.
Sort of like the Charlie Sheen thing going on lately....
Winning!
In the self help and personal development sites one of those catch phrases that I've seen being tossed around and often tossed out as having no real meaning is Self Empowered.
Yet, when I found my way out of that dark place and began to make my way to the light that I live in today - the only word that could describe how I felt was
empowered.
So today I thought I might just suggest that if this catch phrase self empowered is one that has lost some meaning to you that it might be helpful to take a look at the literal meaning of it that perhaps we can reclaim some of the real meaning behind this journey and the hope that is our fuel that pushes us to continue when things are the darkest before the dawn. 
empower |emˈpou(-ə)r|verb [ trans. ]give (someone) the authority or power to do something nobody was empowered to sign checks on her behalf.• enable (someone) to do (something) cryptography will empower individuals to control their information.• [ trans. make (someone) stronger and more confident, esp. in controlling their life and claiming their rights movements to empower the poor.DERIVATIVESempowerment noun
In the verb tense of the word empower we can see that the word empower on its own is to give someone authority; to enable someone to do something, to make someone stronger...
which is great if someone could give us healing, peace of mind and a sense of well being.
So when we look for the missing link from someone else to give us what we are looking for to make that shift we are dependent on other people, places and things to fall in line to provide us with our healing...
then we add the word that makes this that catch phrase that gets tossed around and if we don't look at it in its full context can lose its meaning...
Self empowered.
So if we look at creating and living a self empowered life - what we are really doing is saying that we no longer must depend on someone else to give us the authority to find our answers and create our solutions and instead can say...
I have the power, the authority to enable myself to feel stronger and more confident and...
I am taking the power that is already mine to create and live the life of my choosing.



Being self empowered to me then means many things like...

knowing my resources and using them... instead of waiting for someone else to figure out what I need and give it to me.

Being self empowered to me means learning about the tools and life skills that can help me overcome the past and create the future that I want for myself....instead of waiting for someone to tell me what to do to help myself. 

Being self empowered means learning how to recognize where I'm weak and the steps to take to become stronger in my life, my sense of self and my journey.

Being self empowered to me means taking back my life, asking for what I need, being responsible for the outcome of my journey instead of blaming or making excuses for why I can't ever have the life I want for myself...

Harsh...I know; but honestly, this is what it came down to for me. 

Being self empowered means taking the action and asking the questions to move myself from where I am to where I want to be. 




Questions like, whats missing? What don't I know how to do? Where can I get this knowledge? What actions do I need to take to obtain this knowledge? How can I apply this knowledge to my journey? 

Finding my own answers is where I found my own power.




Share Seek Knowledge, find Wisdom, live your Truth!


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2 comments:

barbou2 said...

Right on Susan,I am very active activities similar to what you describe and loving the emerging self empowerment...........
it does cause my loved one concern but she is beginning to understand.

Unknown said...

Hello barbou2!

I'm glad you found this post to be validating and supportive of your own journey of self discovery!

Yes; when we start growing our relationships will often begin to change and reshape as well:)

En joy your day and thanks for stopping by!