Self-acceptance is critical to your growth as a person. As women, we are groomed from the time we are small to take care of others first. We are taught to live out loud and be authentic, but don’t stand out and be too loud. We are encouraged to reach for the stars, but we then learn that women and men are in fact, not anywhere near equal. In our teenage years, we begin to see comparisons between other women both in person and in beauty magazines. We realize there is a certain standard that must be met to be beautiful and attractive to others. Any blemish or look that is not the “standard”, may leave us with a feeling of being inferior or less than when in fact, it is our differences that should be celebrated. They are what make us unique after all. All of this comparison between others, the competition to try to get a respectable well-paying job and still putting ourselves last and others first can take a toll on our bodies, souls and minds. Let me be clear, it is important to take care of our families because that is a wonderful gift to give to those that you love, except it is harmful when you receive less than you should because you constantly put yourself last. This behavior will cause scars, anguish, pain and questions around inequality but more than that, the by-product of all of the above is women not accepting of themselves, their talents and what they have to offer the world. YOUR POWER IS YOURS ALONE How can we take back our power and how did we lose it in the first place? Power is described in the dictionary as “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events”. In my opinion, the key piece the dictionary version is missing is “as well as your own life”. You have power over your own thoughts, emotions, physicality, and decision making process etc. Power comes from within and you govern and control your power however, many people go through a slow process of giving away their power and don’t realize how much they have lost, until it’s gone. It doesn’t happen overnight, it usually happens over time with small, inconsequential habits or thoughts that leave less of you and more them. The first step in taking back your power is knowing you lost it and that’s not such a bad thing. After all, there really is nowhere to go but up. FOUR STEPS TO TAKE BACK YOUR POWER Below are four steps to take back your authentic power. Step #1 – Establish the areas in your life where you have given your power away or you feel completely powerless. It’s important that you realize there may be certain areas of your life where you have given up your power and you must identify where this has occurred. This exercise may seem painful, but you are now in the process of recovery and you cannot afford to ignore this. It’s a crucial first step and with this self-realization you will see your life differently. Here is how you can begin: Get out a piece of paper and draw four quadrants. Label each quadrant: Social, Personal, Family, and Professional. In each quadrant write down all the specific areas where you feel you have either lost control or you feel completely powerless. For example: In the Work quadrant you might say “I feel like I have no control over where I work, what I do or what working conditions I must endure for a paycheck”. Step #2 – Re-establish your authority over your life by proclaiming your intent to the Universe. This is the time you need to begin to speak your power into existence. You can start by simply saying out loud “I take authority and power over my life.” “I am in complete control of my life and my decisions will now be for the good of me.” Step #3- You need to call your power to you. It may sound odd at first, but give it a go before you discount it. You will want to take power over your past, present and future and to do this you need to say this, out loud “I take full authority and power over my past, my present and my future self. I now ask the highest version of my future self for guidance and I have complete control and power over this (my) life.” Every time I do this, I get goose bumps. Step #4 – Take action in the areas you where you feel powerless. Once you have identified an area where you have given up your power, now you are ready to take action to assert your authority again. These can be small or large steps, but I would begin with small ones until you have the courage to do larger tasks. The remedy for this is simple, you start completing activities that will EMPOWER you. Basically you do the opposite of what you have been doing up until now.
Remember, this is a process and just as you didn’t give your power away in one day, it will take more than one day to reclaim all that is yours. By completing these steps, you have identified where you feel powerless, claimed authority over your life and called your power to you. The last step is the most important one because you are taking back the power that you either lost or gave away to others. Note: Once you begin to take back the reins of your life, you may hear a small voice inside of you saying: “That is selfish! Who do you think you are putting yourself first and others last”? It may also feel very strange to think about you first instead of last, but hang in there. You are NOT selfish, this is your life and if you want to live a powerful, impactful life – YOU need to be in charge. There is no one else that is going to ride this horse for you. It’s all up to you. You can read this blog and continue on as you were – unhappy, feeling stifled, sad and even blaming others for areas in your life that you can’t control. Or – you can take the reins and take back your power. Please be patient and kind with yourself. Give yourself pep talks because they help you and also because you deserve them. You can have the EXACT life you want to live, you just have to take action to reclaim what has truly been yours all along.
5 Comments
1/24/2018 06:10:15 am
There sure is a shift this year with hundreds of thousands of people taking back their power this year. Look at the shift since the #metoo campaign. I myself have taken a massive leap this year and claimed back so much of my time and power and it feels amazing.
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1/24/2018 08:26:27 am
Love this post..and the exercise is really powerful. It's making me think about areas of my life where I have lost some power. Thank you
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1/27/2018 08:01:51 am
Julie, Your words are so power-filled, full of love and encouraging. Great simple tips to implement into one’s life. Thank you.
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AuthorMy name is Julie Saillant and I am an Equestrian who uses my intuitive Empathic insight to help others embrace their own gifts so they can find their life purpose. Archives
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