One of the first things I always think of when I hear the word empowerment comes from one of my favourite superhero characters, Superman. I see and feel the image of Superman standing with his chest out, chin up, and hands-on his hips, looking at whatever is in front of him knowing that he can conquer it.
I also find myself thinking of various movements, present-day being Pride, where people are able to make outward-facing decisions or engage in behaviours that signify what they believe is right or speak on things that they are passionate about, or walk for things that they believe are right.
But there is a much more micro-level simplicity to empowerment that we very seldom talk about; how it impacts every decision we make or do not make. I want to talk about empowerment as the feeling that you get that allows you to make decisions that are in alignment with what you truly want, or what you value, or what you believe in.
This is the feeling that gives you the ‘green light go’ to make decisions that help advance you towards your goals or help you live in alignment with your values.
Many of us don’t realize that we’re making these critical decisions from a place of limiting beliefs instead of empowering ones. Instead of thinking, “Yes, I can” we’re often thinking, “there’s no way”, “I can’t”, “I shouldn’t”. What this does is it sets us up to make decisions that directly contradict those things that we truly want, value, and believe in, which ultimately sets us up to live in a space of discomfort and disappointment.
So, next time you’re making a critical decision to make about a goal or an ideal you set for yourself, ask yourself if your motivation is coming from an empowering belief or a limiting belief.
-Coach Lauren
