Developing Personal Empowermentbutterf ly-maiden.com /personal-development/developing-personal-empowerment/

To understand the concept of personal empowerment, let’s begin by breaking down the word. It simply means‘add power to’ and ref ers to increasing the strength (spiritual, polit ical, social, educational, gender or economic)of individuals and communities.

According to Wikipedia, personal empowerment includes the f ollowing capabilit ies:

The ability to make decisions about personal/collective circumstances

The ability to access inf ormation and resources f or decision-making

Ability to consider a range of options f rom which to choose (not just yes/no, either/or.)

Having posit ive-thinking about the ability to make change

Ability to learn and access skills f or improving personal/collective circumstance.

Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self - init iated

Increasing one’s posit ive self - image and overcoming stigma

Increasing one’s ability in discreet thinking to sort out right and wrong”

Now that you understand the concept of personal empowerment, do you want/need toincrease your strength in any of these areas?

The solution isn’t just that simple – we need to understand how we became dis-empowered in the f irst place.

How do we give our power away?

Too of ten in our f ormative years, our power was accidentally given away to authority f igures in our lives. Itbegins with our experience as children with our parents. Typically, the child has no right to input on manydecisions, and theref ore has no experience with the decision-making process. Perhaps you married young, andbought into the patriarchal notion that your husband was the man of the house, that he would be wearing thepants in the f amily, and that your role was to be quiet and submissive.

Maybe you were raised in a dogmatic religion that instilled in you the belief that someone else was bettersuited to receive spiritual guidance f or you.You might still operate under this f allacy, giving away your right todivine connection away because you don’t believe you are worthy.

[See: Honoring the Self Does Not Equal Self ishness]

We give our power away in numerous ways, throughout every day. For example, when we choose to let ouremotions get the best of us, when we take on someone else’s burden, when we allow someone to drain ourenergy, when we have opportunit ies and we don’t take them.

Developing Personal Empowerment

Adding strength and power won’t happen overnight, just as starting a new exercise program won’t yieldresults immediately. It is a process and you will need to commit to, as you steadily increase your strength inmind, body, and spirit.

Here are a f ew additional suggestions if you desire to develop personal empowerment:

Accept responsibility f or what your role is in your own lif e. Commit to it.

Without question, spend time with those people who value you.

Cease the negative self-talk and self-crit icism. Your own judgment of self limits you dramatically.

Uplif t and encourage others. As you recognize your ability to inspire, you will develop conf idence.

Find your passion. When you f eel driven to take action, you will f ind your strength.

My goal with the Butterf ly Maiden Project is to educate, encourage and empower you… and onceyou’ve embraced personal empowerment, you will begin to inspire and empower others! I hope you’lljoin us!

With mucho a latte of love and respect,

Your Transformation Tour Guide

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About the Author: Janet Louise StephensonJanet Louise Stephenson is the visionary behind Butterf ly Maiden, a project dedicated to personaltransf ormation. Af ter a lif etime hiding behind a mask of other people’s expectations, Janet f ound the courageto quit hiding. Through the process of self -discovery she developed the conf idence to embrace her ownpotential and now of f ers guidance to others who are ready to reveal their true colors.As a Transf ormation Tour Guide, Janet encourages and supports those who are bravely starting their ownjourney.

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