The Gift of Empowerment

I found my power the day I realized I was giving it away every time I let someone or something else do my thinking. It was a subtle giving away like a new home settling over time. I settled into a life that depended on what others thought, not what I thought. Like you tighten the parts that loosen with time in a new house, I would read another self-help book, attend a seminar or take a class because I was seeking something. And that something I searched for was going to fix me. All I got was a temporary high and some inspiration to take the next step. What I now know is that I didn't need another class. Sure classes are good when you are seeking growth. They also help you to stay focused on your life's purpose in this fast paced world.

When you are empowered, you are more enthusiastic about your life. You have healthier relationships and experience more success because you are following your heart. Are you giving your power away? Is fear to speak your truth holding you back? I grew up letting others define me. Something that I should have been embracing proudly didn't happen. It spread like a disease taking over my mind and body throughout the years creating depression, sleeplessness, food cravings, and alcohol or shopping to numb my anxiety.

I complained to friends, who would listen to me and the drama of my life.The one question one devoted friend kept asking me was "To whom did I give my power?" I was asked this question over a period of months before I really heard it. I had no answer then because I was a know-it-all. Like most professional complainers, I wasn't looking for an answer. I claimed and blamed all my problems on what I thought was missing in my life, an identity. I was so sure that if I didn't have to spend time thinking about my identity, I surely wouldn't be in the predicament where I found myself more than once. Feeling like an outsider, I was living with a victim's consciousness.

Every time I compared myself with other people and felt less than or even better than, I created my own toxicity. I stopped the comparison once I learned to compare the difference in how I was and how God wanted me to be. I immediately began embodying the belief that I was already perfect in the mind of God and began what I call the cleanse. When I connected to my higher source, amazing paradigm shifts began to take place in my life.

Changing my behavior, my pattern of thinking empowered me. Saying yes to life, to my unfolding potential and yes to my dreams opened doors to manifesting anything I desire. Changing my personal history, setting goals that stretched me and made me willing to take risks in order to grow, empowered me.

I no longer live for validation. I live in celebration of my life and belonging to the human race. Empowered I get to celebrate my true self and share my inner gifts and beauty with the world every day.

Excerpt from the Introduction in Activating the Power Within - 8 Weeks to an Empowered Life. (Publication date early 2012)