10 Steps to self empowerment
by Lynn WL
Hey, how's it going? I hope you answered positively like, "Great!" or "Wonderful!" because that way you set your mind up for great things to come to you even if everything may not be to your liking at present. Remember the power of the mind.
Today we're going to talk about self empowerment, mostly using other people. No, I don't mean "using" others in a bad way like taking advantage of them, but in a positive way to help yourself grow and become the person you want to be. It will become clearer as you go through the post.
Most socially-empowered people achieve so much greatness basically because they allowed others to catapult them to success. Many of them earn the trust and all-out support of the people whom they had previously helped. In other words, they never run out of help. They can accomplish pretty much anything with the support of other people. This is what we call maximizing their social potential.
See, you can gain self-empowerment by knowing your social skills and making use of them. Self-empowerment is making a general overhaul in your life and turning yourself into a more successful and happier person. If you can be one of those people-persons, then I can't see any reason why you won't succeed in anything you pursue. The key is knowing how and where to start. So here are the 10 steps to self empowerment.
1. Be genuine
This is key, and that's why it's at the top of the list. It's crucial that you're genuinely kind and interested in people. Generally, people can tell if you're a hypocrite or have selfish intentions. Once detected, your hypocrisy will just bring you all the way down, and you might as well say goodbye to self-empowerment.
2. Be a great listener
In fact, be the greatest you can be. In order to earn the trust and love of other people, you need to listen to their problems and sympathize with them. Don't just hear them out; listen to them intently with your heart. Make eye contact when someone talks to you. Listen as if every word matters, because it does! This is the way you earn their trust and confidence. Again, people can usually tell whether or not you're genuinely interested in them.
3. Laugh out loud (lol, yeah!)
I don't mean that you should force yourself to laugh at every joke someone cracks, even when it's not funny at all. This means you should find humor in a lot of things in life and not be too fuckin' serious all the time. Oops, sorry if I offended you. I'm a potty mouth and sometimes I can't help myself, lol! Anyway, a person with an awesome sense of humor tends to attract crowds and eventually, attract success.
4. Have a great personality
This goes hand-in-hand with having a great sense of humor. How likable are you? C'mon, be honest now! Are you like grouchy, grumpy or generally moody? Well, you can't go through life that way. I mean, there are certainly times when feeling negative is justified. But don't stay there too long. Go back to being positive as soon as possible. Get rid of the bad traits and habits that perpetually hamper your growth. And really, would you want a grouchy person as a friend?
5. Be confident
Are you like shy or reserved? Do you feel nervous when talking to other people? Don't feel bad if you are. Your upbringing and life circumstances may have brought you there. The good news is, you can always make changes. Start with a smile. Practice smiling a lot, and show that winning smile of yours whenever you introduce yourself to others. Another helpful thing is to always remind yourself that you are a wonderful person worthy of all the great things in life. You really are, and I'm serious! One thing to remember, though: being confident is not the same as being arrogant.
6. Have good self control
Like I mentioned above, sometimes feeling negative is justified. We're all humans. But when you're angry, don't snap at anyone. Never throw a tantrum. I'm sure we all know a person or two who always do this. What is your impression of them? You may not realize that you're that way too at times. Always try to stay calm and collected. Attempt to take control of the situation and transform your anger into something more productive or positive. If you can't, it's better to just walk away. You can always come back later and discuss things with a cooler head. As soon as people think your anger goes to volcanic proportions easily, they will find it hard to be close to or confide in you.
7. Perform random acts of kindness
You don't have to do a John Rockefeller and blow your savings to charity (unless you are that rich, haha!). Start with something small and simple because often times, the little acts of kindness are what matters the most. This can be as simple as giving someone a surprise gift or a well-wishes card, or helping an elderly person cross the street. I remember one time I was at a drive-through at a fast food restaurant, and the cashier told me that the car in front of me had already paid for all my food and drink. That kinda made my day, and I repaid them by doing the same to someone else another day.
8. Take care of yourself first
This is not being selfish. It just makes sense. You need to be in good shape yourself before you can help others. Otherwise, it would be like "the blind leading the blind." Ever noticed that on an airplane, they always tell you in an emergency, the adults should put on their oxygen masks first before helping a child or another person? The same thing applies to life in general. Love and value yourself before anyone else. If you deem yourself respectable and worthy of affection, people will flock to you and not trample on you.
9. Keep in touch with your old friends
How many of your childhood friends are you still in touch with? How about your former coworkers? Sometimes it's easy to lose touch because you or they move away or other life circumstances get in the way. In the old days people relied on writing letters to keep in touch which admittedly is rather time-consuming. But in today's world with all the technology and social media, you really can't make too many excuses. Relive the good old days by flipping your yearbook and look for the great people whom you want to communicate with again. Adding these old friends to your roster of support peers will surely make you feel good all over.
10. Keep nurturing your current relationships
Your relationship with your significant others, family, and friends is too precious that you must not neglect it for whatever reason. Do things together, and go out and have fun with them on a regular basis. Please don't make excuses like you're too busy or whatever. Maintaining a close relationship with the people who matter the most to you is one of the keys to happiness.
I hope by now you understand what self empowerment using other people means. It really means becoming a better and more lovable person with the help of others. It's actually a win-win situation: other people know they can turn to you anytime, and vice versa. After all, we're social beings and rely on each other.
Until next time, have a wonderful magical day!
Posts
