EMPOWER YOURSELF – The First Steps to Success

I used to sit at home and think:

“How can I be happier?” “How can I reach my goals?” How can I become successful?”

During one of these periods of reflection I realized that sitting and thinking about the HOW is fantastic, but it doesn’t bring me any closer to the HAPPINESS I desired. So at that point in time I made a decision to stop thinking about the HOW and start thinking about WHAT is it that will make ME happy and to start PLANNING so that I could achieve what I wanted. That all sounds fantastic doesn’t it! But it took a lot of time sitting and procrastinating before I came to that decision to change my way of thinking.

My thinking changed because I became a believer in viewing life as a journey, and that it is this journey, rather than the destination that is most meaningful. It is this journey that allows us to grow, develop, learn, inspire and explore. How can we do this if we are constantly sitting wishing for things to happen. If we are not PRESENT in the journey we are on, if we are not actively participating in the life we want for ourselves, then how can we achieve any of it? If we CHOOSE to keep living in a past we cannot change, or a future that has yet to arrive, how can we make the most of the present we have? Moment to moment awareness allows us to fully experience life and all the individual miracles that unfold each day.

Constant focus on the how without planning or knowing what we want can scatter our energy and lead us feeling frayed, and as though nothing is ever really getting done. I believe that LIFE is about BALANCE. We find our lives tipping too far in one direction or the other, with no balance or feeling of content. This can leave us unhappy, exhausted, bored and in a that so called rut. To get out of my rut, I did the following – I EMPOWERed myself. If we look at the word EMPOWER, we can break it down into steps that I am using on a daily basis to keep me moving on the journey I WANT for me.

E: Exercise. Exercise and over all health are very important. If we are not feeling well, how can we give 100% to anything? Your health has a direct relationship to your emotional and mental well-being. I like many thought that spending time on exercise and your overall health was time consuming and I had too much to do already without adding that. So to make it easier for myself, I added a little more exercise into the tasks I was doing. I parked the car a little further from the shops, I took the stairs, I walked over and talked to the person instead of just emailing them etc. These small steps made a huge difference, and adding physical activity into my day, eating healthier whilst not depriving myself of little pleasures, and learning to know what made me feel good, what made me happy has changed my life! I have lost 55kgs to date and I feel fantastic!! I have learnt to LOVE myself again!!

M: Mindfulness. However you chose to do it, mindfulness is important. It helps you to be truly present in your day, to be clear, focused and sure about who you are and what makes you happy. It plays a big part in setting your goals, seeing them and moving towards them. I choose to meditate, others will pray and some create dream boards. This is where your true individuality can come to the fore – find, love and BE you!

P: Positivity. Don’t focus on what you haven’t got – focus on what you have that makes you happy! I keep a gratitude journal and this reminds me that even though I have places I want to be, it is still really good where I am, and to focus in what I have achieved towards where I want to be. If we can’t be grateful with what we have now, we will never be happy with what we have ever.

O: Outdoors. If I am feeling down, or have no energy. I take a walk outside. It could just be to go out the front door and sit on the patio, or I could take a walk down the street, either way when I head outdoors my mood and thought process changes for the better. Take time to look at how magnificent life in all its glory is!!

W: Work. If you are not prepared to work towards your dreams and goals how are you going to get there? This was the biggest realization that I came to – sitting and dreaming is great, but if I’m not taking steps towards those dreams, how can I reach them? No one is going to reach out and hand them to me on a silver platter. I need to plan and take action – even if its only a little each day. I know I am working towards what I want for me!! That puts a different spin on the word WORK doesn’t it!! So for me, work now means moving towards my goals – not those of others!!

E: Educate. There are goals I have for myself that are scary – and that is good, I know I am doing it right! At first I had no idea how I could reach or attain these goals, I knew they were what I wanted, .but had no idea on how to get there. So I started to research, to meet and learn from those that are already at the place I wanted to be and to work out what changes I need to make to keep me moving forward. Education allows you to change, adapt and be flexible in your goals, your dreams and how you achieve things.

R: Relationships. Relationships take many forms. You have your family, friends, partners, spouses, co-workers, children and pets (I can’t get through the day without my pets!). It is our relationships that provide us with the support and emotional connections we need on this journey of life. These relationships can also be what brings us down – if people are constantly telling us we can’t achieve what we want, we will constantly battle that ourselves. I choose who I want to spend time with, who I want as the main support in my life and I make sure that these people EMPOWER me.

So in summary, I use the word EMPOWER daily to make sure that today and every day I am being the best me I can be – not only for my friends and family, but for ME. When you start doing things for YOU – you will be amazed at what you can achieve and how great life can be!!

#EMPOWER #Happiness #LiveLife