Self Empowerment Techniques
Self empowerment involves developing the self-trust and self-awareness you need to set the right goals, make sound decisions, and understand your strengths and weaknesses - so you can thrive.
It is claiming your own path - regardless of what anyone else says - because you know that path is right for you. It’s the harder path for sure. It’s far easier to settle for conventional rules and fall in line. It’s easier to play small and dumb down your goals and your ideas.
But you want to dream bigger and achieve more. You want to explore your full potential and you want to feel empowered to take the actions and decisions that lead to an abundant life.
So if you know there’s so much more out there, this article is for you.
Here are some self improvement techniques that will help you cultivate the grit, self-trust, and confidence you need to be your best.
- Journaling
"An unexamined life is not worth living."
- Plato
Journaling is a practice that empowers you to examine your life for self empowerment. Journaling isn’t just about mulling over the here and now. You can also use this practice to reflect over your life so you can get more clarity on what’s shaped your beliefs and your thought patterns. Do what it takes to get more clarity on the subconscious, hidden stuff that is driving you, and you will be able to make more empowered choices moving forward.
2. Make good decisions
"Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right."
- Phil McGraw
When you lack confidence and you don’t know yourself, it’s easy to be influenced by other people. But what others think you should do isn’t necessarily what’s right for you.
Decisiveness is powerful because it allows you to take control over your life.
Train your mind to think widely about the tough choices - considering all angles so you feel confident you’ve chosen well. Of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but trusting yourself enough to go for what you think is right is a hugely empowering thing to do.
3. Set goals
"The moment you put a deadline on your dream it becomes a goal."
- Stephen Kellogg
When it comes to self empowerment, your goals are the drivers. Goals create focus. They tell your brain what’s important (and what is less so). They make it easy for you to prioritize what’s on your plate by putting the things that will take you closer to your targets first.
Goals are the seeds of change and they put you in the driving seat of your life.
What goals do you need to set - in your relationships, your work/career, your personal development, your finances, your hobbies, your health and wellbeing etc?
Set goals that take you closer to the things you want, and take action on them, and you’ll feel more empowered than ever.
4. Manage your time
"Time management is life management."
- Robin Sharma
Self empowerment is about taking responsibility for your time and ensuing you’re using it wisely.
Figure out your daily targets (ensuring they’re aligned to your goals) and schedule in all your tasks in the same way you would a fixed appointment.
Budget your time to get it all done and there’s a good chance you will.
5. Don't be afraid to fail
"Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."
- Henry Ford
You can’t know everything in advance (and if you do, perhaps you’re not thinking big enough). So give yourself the freedom and permission to get it wrong.
You aren’t your mistakes. You are so much more than that.
It takes guts to take a risk and push yourself further than you think you can go.
But prioritize courage over comfort, and you’ll feel more self empowered than ever.
6. Say no without feeling guilty
"Until you know how to confidently say no, you will always say yes to too many things." - Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
Every time you say YES when you really mean no, you divert your time resource to activities you don’t really want to do.
Let that sink in…
Saying yes to someone else means saying no to you.
Self empowerment involves being more mindful with your yeses and nos.
7. Love yourself
"Loving yourself isn't vanity. It is sanity."
- Katrina Mayer
Self love is the catalyst to virtually everything (including self empowerment).
- Prioritize your self care routines.
- Make more space for the things YOU enjoy (and enjoy them without feeling guilty).
- Do the work necessary to ensure your self talk is positive, encouraging, and loving.
- Practice daily gratitude and own all the abundance you have in your life already.
- Exercise, eat well, and take care of yourself like you are the most important person in the world.
Make sure your cup is full, and you’ll feel empowered to do so much more.
Self empowerment is NOT an overnight fix, it is a journey. At each stage, you open the doors to bigger and bigger opportunities and rewards.
When self empowerment becomes a driver, you’ll always be growing. You’ll discover more and more truths about who you really are.
And that is a mammoth reward in itself.
How are you cultivating self empowerment in your life?