A lot of words and phrases are thrown around, and I find that quite a few people understand what they mean only on a superficial level. Today, I want to clarify what it means to love yourself and what empowerment really is.
A lot of people want to love themselves. It sounds great and exciting. But what does it actually entail? First of all, let’s separate loving yourself from arrogance. The two are completely unrelated. Arrogance stems from a feeling of inferiority. Loving yourself is about love.
Have you ever noticed that when you feel good about yourself, you seem to like others more as well? Your level of patience and acceptance significantly rises. Have you ever met someone you really liked because they were particularly warm to you and seemed to genuinely like you and accept your faults? You likely enjoyed being around that person because you felt good about yourself when you were with them.
Now imagine that person was you. Imagine genuinely enjoying your own company and feeling comfortable being yourself. Imagine not getting embarrassed so easily, not having to think twice about what you are saying or doing. Think about what it would be like to rarely think about how others see you, because it is enough to know how you see yourself.
Your quality of life would be so much higher because the angst of needing to be seen as nice, good, or appropriate would no longer rule you. If you are accepting and kind with yourself, and this means having kind, forgiving, and healthy thoughts about yourself, life becomes much better.
It does not mean that you think you are perfect or that you do not care about others. It means that when you do make a mistake, there are not all these difficult feelings attached to it. You can fix it, or if it cannot be fixed, you accept it and move on.
Loving yourself means enjoying your own company, feeling confident in your own opinions, not being overly worried about how others see you, and being able to enjoy your life. It means having healthier relationships with others because your outlook is healthier.
Now all of this leads to empowerment. Empowerment means giving power to someone. Being empowered means that you give that power to yourself. People often give their power away to others without even realizing it.
When you feel embarrassed or insecure next to someone and are looking for their smile or some sign that they think you are fine, you have empowered that person instead of empowering yourself. There are so many complexities in social situations, and when you allow yourself to have authority over them, they begin to diminish.
Having authority means that you hold the reins over your thoughts. What others think of you does not matter nearly as much as what you think of yourself. Loving yourself and being empowered are very real ways of living your life.
For more information on how I can help you learn strategies to make this your way of life, contact me today.
