Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Get Empowered

A friend of mine, after I was reminiscing about days gone by and my current troubles, said, "Get empowered!".

You see there was a time when I felt strong, lived life fully and stared fear in the eye. I walked around like life was designed for me and somehow, events and circumstances kindly obliged to offer me confidence and adventure. I had energy and umph. My smile was contagious. I was empowered.

Now, I am not an empty vessel by any means, but my self esteem has taken a few hits in the past few years--and things are different. So, my friend says, "Get empowered." How does one do that? What steps does one take toward empowerment? It sure sounds like it could be easy--kind of like the Nike saying of "Just do it".



Check out the Seven Simple Promises that will Change your Life

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, Erin. I know it's been a long time since we have known each other on a personal level, but imagining you without a full cup of enthusiasm and confidence is a new one for me. You were always the most confident, self-assured person I have known... How do you empower yourself with that again? When you find the answer please let me know too. I do know that it's something only found inside, not externally. I think what you are talking about is something that we all deal with sometimes, especially as we get older, but based on my view of your life today you have much to be proud of: your children are beautiful and seem well adjusted; you appear to have taken a career path that is both meaningful and rewarding (wish I could say the same); you are always reaching both spiritually and intellectually to grow. Chris

Erin said...

Ah it is a question worth pondering Chris. I am still in there somewhere-- I think I need to heal some, fake it till I make it, and start doing things that make my spirit feel good.

I am one of the more fortunate souls on this earth--children, home, good friends, and many other blessings.

I guess I am ready to feel self actualization and a true connection between me and my life presence/purpose. Full engagement. I will probably post about how I plan to do this. Who knows if it will work, but something is better than nothing in these kind of things.

Erin said...

A friend of mine has this to say and I thought I would share it here, in case there are others of you trying to find your way to empowerment or in her case in point, the dream career:

Nice blog entry!! I think the way to being empowered is to look for something you want, and make a plan to get there, and keep doing that, and that will build on itself. I don't know much about psychology, but if you're disempowered or even depressed, maybe you feel like there's nothing you really want, nothing worth striving for. If that's the case, I'm not surehow to get out of something like that.

Maybe taking small positive steps that build confidence and make you feel in control.

Specifically I was going to suggest: * Dream big, and then take the dream apart to build a plan of attack. * Who are some of your role models, and how could you attain a piece of what they did? *

Imagine ten years from now you're in a career that makes you blissfully,supremely happy. Maybe you don't know exactly what that career is, but what are the key elements of that vision, and how can you get there?

Then I started thinking bigger. I think one key to happiness is making the right choice in your heart, and sticking with it. You need to go for the grand prize!

You may not have worked out the details yet, but you want to be a grand strategizer for a group of smart, motivated people, doing something worthwhile.

What you should do is meet every person who is already doing that in Columbus. Grab the city and shake it! Go straight to the top of the ten most influential companies and organizations in the city. I don't know the details, but I'm guessing you should do something like meet influential people and their staffs and get into their industry conferences somehow, and informal parties and gatherings. Maybe do some travel.
You just went through job interviews, so this process is still fresh in your mind. Find where these people meet and trade ideas, online and offline.

You have all the tools and skills! This would be a challenging process, but you have the focus and stamina to swim hard. These people need to meet you, and they have some answers you need to hear. You have uncommon expertise at meeting people and making a confident, successful, yet down-to-earth first impression, and you can share valuable knowledge of group dynamics and a vision for how organizations should operate. Make a bold first step, and seize the day!