5 Ways to Empower Yourself

According to dictionary.com,  the definition of “empower” is “to give power or authority to.”  As teachers, our role is to empower.  We empower our students to take control of their learning, as well as use our skills to empower our closest family and friends.  However, do you take time to empower the most important person of all: YOURSELF?  What makes you feel powerful and in charge of your own life?  For me, I believe there’s no better feeling than empowerment.  I strive to make myself feel powerful and unstoppable.  I’m no expert in this subject area, nonetheless I know how to make myself feel empowered.  The following are 5 ways I empower myself.  I challenge you to empower yourself as well!

1. Saying “No.”~ I was once told that “No.” is a complete sentence.  To be honest, it has become my favorite sentence of all!  It’s vital to remember that you have the power to choose to do whatever you want or don’t want to do in life.  When we say “Yes.” to commitments, or work, or to our friends & family, we tend to say it, even when we don’t want to, to avoid confrontations, awkward conversations, and/or the feeling of guilt.  I used to do this all the time.  Yet now when I say “No.” to something I really don’t want to do, I feel empowered because I prove to myself that I have the power to CHOOSE.  If I truly don’t have the desire to do something or go somewhere, I DON’T HAVE TO!
2. Don’t Question Yourself!~ You’re the only person that knows yourself the best.  No one is better at making decisions for yourself than you.  But why do we question ourselves sometimes?  I catch myself knowing exactly what I want, but still seeking confirmation on my decision.  Yet when I seek confirmation and it’s not an answer  I was hoping for, I feel anything but empowered and become frustrated.  I feel empowered when I know EXACTLY what I want, and DON’T seek confirmation from someone else.  The next time you catch yourself yearning for confirmation on a decision for yourself, don’t do it! Have the confidence to know what’s right for yourself.
3. Cook for yourself!~ I recently discovered the satisfaction I feel after cooking for myself.  Being able to provide for myself reminds me that at the end of the day, I can survive with just me, myself, and I and that feeling is awesome!
4. Go to the movies by yourself!~ If you follow me on instagram, you saw that I recently went to the movies by MYSELF!  Let me tell you, it empowered me so much!! I’m not sure why, but there is a stigma that the social norm is that one goes to the movies with other people.  Thinking about it, I realize how silly that is given that you don’t talk to anyone during a movie anyway!  Last week I really wanted to see Rachel Hollis’ documentary, Made for More, but couldn’t find a friend to go with.  My boyfriend said, “Why use that to stop you from doing something you want to do?”  He was so right!! NEVER did I imagine myself  ever going to the movies alone.  I used to preoccupy myself with thoughts such as “Would others see me and think I had no friends?”  I’m so happy that I now have the confidence to not give a sh$%!!  Going to the movies by myself was an amazing experience and I look forward to doing it again! Try it out!!
5. Create for yourself!~ I love purchasing resources from Teachers Pay Teachers and will modify worksheets from colleagues, however I feel most empowered when I create and use resources of my own!  Exercising my brain and creating content provides me with a sense of authority.  I not only enjoy exulting authority over my craft as an educator, but additionally over my students’ learning.  The next time you have the choice to either use something from someone else or create something yourself, I challenge you to choose the latter and observe how it makes you feel!

Do you empower yourself in similar ways? If not, try some of these!