Tim Ferris, author of The Four Hour Work Week, stated that “People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty”. That’s right – people would rather stay as they are, even if they are unhappy, than put themselves to the effort of improving their lives. Maybe it is the fear of the unknown, maybe they worry that if they take action they would be worse off? But would you rather be unhappy, or do something about that?
In order to have a better life, if you are unhappy with your current situation, then you need to take a good look at where you currently are. You need to empower yourself to make the changes necessary that will lead to a happier, more satisfying life.
Personal empowerment starts with self-awareness. Self-awareness is all about getting to know yourself better, making the most of your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses. Personal empowerment and personal development go hand in hand, for as you discover more about yourself, you can develop strategies for overcoming the weaknesses you discern in yourself so they will not hold you back from living your best life.
There are a number of main areas which people tackle when they are seeking to empower themselves, including:
- Physical
- Mental
- Emotional
- Spiritual
- Career
Let’s look at each of these in turn to see how you can play down your weaknesses to increase your sense of empowerment.
Physical
Many people struggle with obesity or do not exercise enough and are therefore in poor physical condition. The truth is that if we don’t care for our bodies, our bodies won’t be able to care for us and help us live our best life.
There are many ways you can empower yourself, such as through exercise, physical activity like walking 10,000 steps a day, making smarter food choices, and more. Through information, goal setting, and following through with action steps, you will be able to make the changes in your life you desire, leaving you looking and feeling better than ever before.
Mental
We all had subjects we hated when we were at school. Often, the reason we hated them was because we felt we weren’t very good at them, or our grades didn’t reflect all of the hard work we were putting into math, science and so on. As adults, there might also be subjects we don’t like and therefore avoid. Avoiding them will never help, though, and might make things worse.
Trying to do better through taking a course, getting coaching, or just spending a bit more time every day working on your weakness will minimise its impact on your life. If you struggle with math, for example, money issues should become a thing of the past as you learn more about basic budgeting and bookkeeping.
Emotional
Many people struggle with emotional weaknesses, such as anger management issues, mood disorders or troublesome aspects of their past that hold them back from living their best life. You can empower yourself to take control of these issues by gathering information, getting coaching or therapy, joining a support group, and more. Through tracking your progress, such as how well you are getting your anger under control, you will learn just how powerful, not powerless, you really are.
Spiritual
Many people have a religious or spiritual dimension to their lives, which can be both positive and negative. On the one hand, it gives them a sense of being a part of something greater than themselves. On the other hand, many organised religious carry a set of commandments many people fall short of, and focus on a sense of sin. Turn any “sin” into a strength by empowering yourself to overcome it.
Career
Some people have a career, others feel like they just have a job. What’s the difference? The person with the career has a range of opportunities along a path that they have defined for themselves. They are not just worried about a raise, but also promotion and recognition of their skills and achievements within their industry. Work on the weaknesses you feel are holding you back in your career and see what a difference it can make.
If you’ve been feeling stuck in any particular area of your life, that’s a sign of a weakness that can empower you to change your life for the better and become your best self. Take action, and put unhappiness behind you as you live a more rewarding life, one that you fully deserve.