If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.
– Thomas A Edison
The journey to personal empowerment is not a distant dream or a lofty ideal—it’s an everyday commitment. While many of us have moments where we feel strong and capable, maintaining that sense of power and confidence consistently can be challenging. Yet, to truly feel empowered, one must integrate habits and mindsets that fuel this emotion daily, turning it from a fleeting feeling into a way of life.
At the core of empowerment lies the understanding that every choice we make, every word we utter, and every thought we nurture plays a part in shaping our self-worth. Throughout the rhythms of life, there are proven strategies that can magnify our strengths, minimize our doubts, and guide us toward a path where we continuously feel empowered. And while each day comes with its unique challenges, it also brings with it opportunities—opportunities to stand tall, make impactful decisions, and realize our innate potential.
In this article, we will delve into five transformative ways to not only understand the essence of empowerment but to genuinely feel empowered with each sunrise. These are actionable, simple, yet profoundly effective steps to anchor yourself in empowerment, creating a ripple effect on all aspects of life.
How to Feel Empowered
Here are five powerful yet simple ways to feel empowered on a daily basis:
1. Be The CEO of You Inc.
You Inc. represents all the different areas of your life including Career, Relationships, Finances, Healthy Living, Fun & Creativity, and Personal Growth. You need to invest in and be mindful of each of the areas to present your best self on a daily basis.
The key theme to realize is that life is a series of choices and you are in the driver’s seat (not someone else). You Inc. is the most important business you will run because it’s your life and you need to take an active role in all the decisions. It’s time for you to decide what commitments get added to your plate and when to say “NO” vs. “YES.”
2. Assess Your Words
Yes, we’ve all heard that being “positive” is important and makes a difference — so why aren’t we doing it all the time? I continue to see people limiting their potential because they embrace negative words and beliefs.
Our mindset defines what we believe is possible and impossible. So if we continue to reinforce that starting a new business, running a 10k race, or finding a job is impossible then that’s the song that runs through our mind. I encourage all of my clients to delete the words, “can’t” and “impossible” from their vocabulary and use words that inspire, empower, and motivate you such as I can, I will, and I believe in myself.
3. Remove The Should Factor
I should spend more time with my family, I should volunteer at my children’s school, I should attend that social event….the “shoulds” go on and on. But what we really need to focus on is what we want to do and be rather than what we think we should be doing?
The most precious resources we have are time and energy so if you are consumed with thinking and doing all the “shoulds” in your life, there’s little time to focus on the parts of your life that are most fulfilling. You can implement this small shift by starting to notice when and if you use the word “should” and if it positively or negatively impacts your life.
4. Redefine Success
Often our definition of success changes over the years but we do not adjust our mindset, goals, and actions for the life we want to live today. After business school, I defined success in terms of title and money but soon realized that success for me was about being fulfilled, making a difference, and loving what I do.
How do you define success and are you taking steps to create the life you want?
5. Set a Goal That Matters
This seems like an obvious one but so many people either do not set goals, set vague goals, do not take action on their goals or set goals that are important but not a priority. The amazing part about goals is when you set a goal that genuinely excites you and is a top priority in your life, you are focused and motivated on a daily basis. It adds that spark to your life and gives you a purpose when you start your day.
The process of setting goals is about feeling a sense of mastery and building confidence each step of the way. To start, focus on goals that are meaningful, genuinely excite you, and that you are willing to make a priority today. Goals are personal so choose one that speaks to you and then write it down. Remember it’s a process so be patient and ready for some bumps on the road!
Living your best life is a mindset, choice, and way of life. Once we decide that being our best is not optional but rather how we live, a world of opportunities opens up and challenges are re-framed. We see the world through the lens of what if and why not and train our mind to focus on solutions rather than problems. The choice is yours!
Thank you for getting to the heart of change! Empowering ourselves is an important part of instigating change and creating success in life.
I have written a few similar articles myself and I am pleased to see the practices that have worked so well for me working for others, too.
I love that you mention removing the should factor as I know for me this has held me back in the past. I believe “should” is a word that almost immediately instills guilt, as it often implies if we are not doing what we should, then we are not okay. I’ve got news for you, I am okay! I’m okay just as I am today.
I have found I do not need to live up to anyone else’s expectations, and sometimes not even my own. What is more important for me is following my truth, and trusting my instincts. I can check my intentions, my motivations and my health and be guided by my goals, values and self-care. Doing so has served me better than feeling constrained by shoulds.
Setting a goal in general is necessary to live a fulfilled life. We have to feel as if we are working towards something that will bring us fulfillment. Because the journey to something we really want is MUCH more ENJOYABLE then actually obtaining it. And once you have what you want, you open your eyes on morning and realize you can MUCH MORE than what you’ve already obtained!!
To me, real empowerment comes when I get my work done. When I have done my job, have not procrastinated, had learned something, put myself with schedule, a pushed myself a little towards my goal, I feel empowered. That’s the best things I think you can do to feel powerful – get that damn thing done and packed and dispatched..
Terrific! Thanks for the info!
Very short, sweet and to the point!!
I so agree with you that we have to allow ourselves the right to redefine success every so often to make sure we are travelling down the right path in life. Otherwise, we just may get to the end of the path and realize we don’t like where we are anymore.
I also know that “shoulds” have become a sort of dirty word among many personal growth gurus. And I understand the reasoning behind it. If happiness, empowerment and a sense of self-fulfillment is part of the work we do to motivate optimal living, well, guilt just kinda gets in the way of all that. Even though you did identify the difference between those “shoulds” that positively or negatively influence our lives, I do have a more general concern:
Life is much more than feeling good and living the life we most want to live. There actually ARE moral responsibilities and obligations in life. In other words, there really are “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” that demand something from us … even if we are not always so inclined toward them. I fear sometimes that in our zeal to teach and inspire hope and positivity and optimization in others, that we just might sometimes overdo it when we try too zealously to stamp out the feelings of guilt altogether that “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” can create.
Sure, I want to live among people who feel good about themselves. But I also want to live among people who can still feel the sting of guilt when they are doing things worthy of the corrective discomfort guilt provides.
My rant notwithstanding, excellent post filled with excellent ideas about empowering our lives. Well done, Alissa!
Very nice post! Taking ownership of one’s own attitude, choices and direction in life is so important. Everyone makes mistakes and has troubles now and then, but having a positive goal, a plan for moving forward and a strong internal compass is all one needs to empower change and overcome any obstacle.
Thanks for reading my article and sharing your feedback. All good points. I think “shoulds” are always a tricky conversation and quite honestly we could spend an entire workshop discussing the ideas in this article. Shoulds are as much about realizing that each of us make a choice when we add a commitment to our life so as we change our perspective about shoulds our energy shifts as well. It’s about being proactive to make choices that align with our goals and balancing commitments in our life.
Hi Alissa,
Setting goals that we feel energized and excited about have a 99% greater chance of succeeding than goals that we feel ok about.
Many decide to set “weak” goals with little energy/emotion behind the intent and wonder why they fail.
Justin, I’m with you 100%! Goals always seems simple on the surface
Creating a goal isn’t always a way to make you feel better, you need to create a goal which you want to to achieve emotionally. Sometimes the best feeling is when you achieve a goal you didn’t realise you had until you achieved it.
Hi Alissa,
A terrific reminder. I especially love your first point “Be the CEO…..” The language that we use, ridding ourselves ofshould haves/could haves & setting meaningful goals are major players in our lives.
Thank you & be good to yourself
David
hey Alissa
i liked the post, especially number one puts on emphasis on carrying responsibility and being in charge
thank you :)
So simple but we forget to take these steps. #2 and #3 are especially important for me. Thanks for the reminder. I feel refocused now and ready for tomorrow!
Great post Alissa, simply and easy for everyone to grasp. Being aware of who you are and what goals you really want to reach is essential to living a life full of empowerment and looking forward to change and growth…Thanks:)
Good advice! I do my best to remove the ‘should factor’ along with the ‘have to, ought to, and must’ factors. I’m no longer willing to do things out of duty or obligation. For example, I donate to my favorite charities because I want to, not because I have to.
Be the CEO of you…. I really like that. I like changes in the use of language for self improvement too. As someone who is currently “employed”, I have taken to thinking of my employer as my customer who buys my services. It’s a great way to feel more empowered. Thank you fior sharing some great wisdom here.
Great tips for living life to the fullest! So often people let life pass them by only to discover that they’ve missed out on the things that make it so wonderful. I often use essential oils to help reinforce my intentions, whether it’s concentrating on a project I’m working on, or helping me to think more positively. Thanks again for the awesome post!
Great comments, glad you all connected with the idea of “Be the CEO of YOU INC.” If you want to stay connected you can also join me on my Facebook page located on my website, I’m happy to answer more questions as well, thank you!
I can really relate to this post! About 3 months ago I started waking up telling myself that i was a champion and that i was going to achieve any and everything that i set out to do fore that day. That alone made a very big difference ,It raised my expectations for myself. Great job !!
Maurice, very inspiring. I love the word champion as well. Good for you, thanks for sharing. The words we use make such a big difference.
Hey Alissa. Point 2 resonates with me… “Assess your words”.
It’s so important to observe what you are saying to yourself and to focus on “talking” positively to yourself in your thoughts.
The big challenge is to catch yourself when negative thoughts creep in, because often these thoughts occur unconsciously, below our level of awareness. No shortcuts though… the only way to get better is to keep practicing.
thanks for this, once again, inspiring post.
I really liked the part about being the CEO of your life! It is well written and tells about how we should create our own life. We can be happy and can be successful if we choose to.
This whole article is really inspiring.
Regards,
Aslam