How to Empower Yourself: 7 Steps to Feel Empowered
Knowing yourself and what you want in life is the first step to living your dreams.
But there’s a second step that’s as important: self-empowerment.
Self-empowerment is about believing you can do what it takes to live the life you want.
Without it, there’s no plan, no matter how perfect, that can get you unstuck and help you change your life.
Now, listen.
I believe in how important self-discovery is, and that’s one of the topics I talk about the most in this blog.
Knowing what you want is the first solid step to getting unstuck and becoming the person you really want to be.
But self-empowerment is as crucial when it comes to making positive changes in your life.
When you empower yourself, you feel confident in your abilities.
And that makes it more likely for you to do what it takes to achieve your goals.
Creating a lasting and significant change in your life isn’t easy.
But, if you feel you have the power to do it, powering through the complex parts will be like second nature to you.
The bottom line?
When you believe in yourself, you’re more likely to persevere even when things don’t go according to plan.
So, if you want to improve your life and reach your full potential, start by empowering yourself.
In this post, I’m giving you actionable tips on how to empower yourself and overcome any obstacle that comes your way.
But first, let’s start with the basics: the definition of self-empowerment.
What Is Self-Empowerment?
Self-empowerment is the process of taking control of your own life and increasing your levels of self-worth and confidence.
It’s about developing a strong sense of personal power and the ability to:
- make your own decisions,
- set and achieve goals,
- and take responsibility for your own happiness and well-being.
And how does that feel?
Well, when you feel empowered, you have a positive attitude toward life, with all the good AND the bad.
Feeling empowered makes you feel in control and ready to tackle any obstacle. It’s that I-can-do-this feeling that motivates you to go after what you want.
Self-empowerment is also about developing coping skills and resilience so you don’t give up when things get complicated.
Now, there’s something that comes hand in hand with self-empowerment, and that’s self-confidence.
Here’s why.
Self-confidence is believing in your own skills, qualities, and judgment. It’s about trusting yourself and trusting you have what it takes to get what you want.
Self-empowerment, on the other hand, is the process of taking control of your own life.
It’s FEELING you have what it takes to take the reins.
When you empower yourself, you increase your self-confidence.
But it also works the other way around: increasing your confidence makes you feel more empowered.
It’s a feedback loop.
Self-empowerment and self-confidence are interconnected.
Self-empowerment leads to increased self-confidence, and increased self-confidence can help you feel empowered.
Here’s a list of actionable tips you can use to feel more powerful in your own skin.
How to Feel Empowered: 7 Actionable Tips
Here’s what you can start doing today to feel more empowered and take control of your life.
1. Organize your life
Lack of organization can have a significant impact on your well-being.
When you’re surrounded by clutter and chaos, it’s challenging to focus and feel calm, which makes you feel stressed and anxious.
It can also make it more difficult to finish your to-do’s.
This can lead to missed deadlines, miscommunication, and feeling overwhelmed and powerless as if everything around you were chaos you don’t have any control over.
When you’re too disorganized, it’s easy to feel things happen TO you instead of FOR you.
All this can have awful long-term consequences.
When you struggle to keep up with day-to-day responsibilities, it’s hard to find the time and energy to work towards your dreams.
So, take the time to organize your life. It’s going to make a massive difference in how empowered you feel.
2. Improve the way you talk to yourself
Negative self-talk has a profound impact on your sense of self-worth and personal power.
When you say nasty things to yourself, you feel discouraged and powerless because you’re constantly underestimating yourself.
Imagine having someone telling you all day that you’re not smart enough, that what you want is impossible, or that you’ll never amount to anything.
You’ll end up believing it’s true.
Now imagine what happens when your own mind tells you those things all day, every day…
You end up feeling like you’re unable to control or influence events in your life. It’s inevitable.
Improving how you talk to yourself can play a significant role in boosting your confidence and empowering you to make positive changes in your life.
Here are some tips to help you shift your focus and start being kinder to yourself:
- Pay attention: The first step is to become aware of the negative thoughts that hold you back. Take note of the things you say to yourself and how you feel after. This can be the most challenging step of all, but it’s worth it!
- Challenge your negative thoughts: Ask yourself if the thoughts are true.
- Practice gratitude: Taking time each day to reflect on the things you’re thankful for can help you shift your focus and be more positive.
Here‘s an in-depth guide on what to do if you’re struggling with negative self-talk.
I know how essential positive self-talk is, so I created a journaling workbook to help you improve how you talk to yourself.
It’s called the Self-Talk Workbook, and it can help you:
- Expose your inner critic and start showing yourself the love you deserve.
- Get out of your own way.
- Pursue your dreams without surrendering to your own limitations.
- Acknowledge your wins and feel confident in your own skin.
Check it out here!
3. Step out of your comfort zone
Push yourself to try new things, and you’ll be surprised by abilities and talents you didn’t know you had.
Uncovering new things you love to do is an exciting part of your personal growth!
Which can, of course, make you feel a lot more empowered and confident.
Stepping out of your comfort zone also helps you to grow and develop as a person.
By embracing new experiences and perspectives, you can:
- broaden your horizons,
- meet new people,
- open yourself up to new opportunities,
- and gain new skills.
Here are some quick and simple things you can do to challenge yourself in a healthy, empowering way:
- Try a new hobby or activity: Practice a new sport or take a class in something you’ve always been curious about.
- Travel to a new place: Whether a day trip to a nearby town or a longer adventure to a foreign country, traveling to a new place can be a great way to step outside your comfort zone.
- Meet new people: Join a social group, attend networking events or volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about.
- Take on a new challenge: Whether it’s a new project at work, a challenging hike, or a public speaking event, taking on a new challenge can help you feel more empowered.
Keep in mind that it’s crucial to approach stepping out of your comfort zone in a mindful and intentional way.
Start small and gradually work your way up to more challenging experiences.
Stepping out of your comfort zone can be a solid tool to empower yourself to change and improve your life.
By starting with simple actions and building up to more challenging experiences, you’ll feel a lot more confident.
4. Set meaningful goals
When you set goals for yourself, you’re taking an active role in shaping your future.
Doesn’t that sound empowering? It does to me.
On top of that, setting goals gives you a sense of direction and helps you better focus your energy.
The results? You’ll see what happens when you focus, set the right priorities, and believe you can do it.
Setting goals can also give you the motivation and inspiration to push through.
Plus, you can celebrate your achievements along the way, which helps you feel more confident and empowered.
Start by setting small, attainable goals that build towards larger, long-term aspirations.
And make sure you ask yourself the right questions when setting goals.
By taking an active role in shaping your future and creating a roadmap for growth, you can:
- increase your motivation,
- build confidence,
- and improve your sense of self-empowerment.
5. Set the right priorities
Let me explain what I mean by “priorities.”
For example, let’s say that, deep down, you care more about what others think than about how you feel.
That means you’re prioritizing other people’s feelings over your own and over your life.
The results?
You’ll end up feeling miserable because you never tried that class or started that dream business, just because you prioritized what other people think instead of making your goals a priority.
Whether that’s a conscious decision or not, it has a powerful impact on what you end up doing with your life.
Pleasing others and putting their needs above your own is not inherently a bad thing.
It’s important to be considerate of others and help out when you can.
I’m not saying you should become the most selfish person on Earth.
However, when you neglect your own needs because you prefer to keep others happy, you’ll end up feeling powerless.
It’s important to strike a balance between taking care of yourself and being there for others.
Also, think about it: prioritizing your own well-being and aspirations means you’ll have more energy, resources, and emotional reserves to give to others.
Great, right?
This way, you can be the best version of yourself and be there for others in a healthy, sustainable way.
Take some time to reflect on what’s important to you, what your values are, and what you want out of life.
Make time and room for yourself.
This will help you establish a clear sense of direction and make decisions that align with your priorities.
Also, learn to say “no” when you need to and set clear boundaries for what you’re willing and not willing to do.
YOU have the power to decide what to spend your time on.
So, if you don’t find the time for your own projects, never say it’s because you don’t HAVE the time. Be honest and admit it’s just not a priority for you.
Want to make progress? Set the right priorities.
6. Be mindful of the people you surround yourself with
Surrounding yourself with supportive people who inspire you will help you feel more confident and empowered.
By contrast, being around negative people will make you feel drained and disempowered.
It’s important to be mindful of the relationships in your life and the energy they bring.
Think about the people you have a relationship with and what kind of impact they have on you.
If you feel empowered, supported, and inspired around them, it’s probably a positive relationship, so you should do what you can to spend more time with them.
Now suppose you feel drained, disempowered, or negative after being around them.
In that case, it might be time to re-evaluate the relationship and focus on surrounding yourself with people who bring out the best in you.
7. Address your limiting beliefs
Limiting beliefs are those negative thoughts or ideas you have about yourself that hold you back from reaching your full potential.
They can be conscious or unconscious, and they can stem from many different sources.
These beliefs limit your actions, goals, and dreams and make you feel like you can’t do or be anything more than what you already are.
For example, if you believe you’ll never be successful, you’ll probably hold yourself back and prove yourself right.
It’s essential to identify and challenge these limiting beliefs if you want to feel more empowered.
I designed a set of journaling workbooks to help you understand yourself better and which limiting beliefs are holding you back.
It’s called the Self-Discovery Bundle, and it’ll also help you:
- Process your feelings in a healthy way and organize yourself better
- Get clear about what you want
- Boost your confidence
- And more!
Check it out here.
Journaling Prompts For Self-Empowerment
You probably already know I’m a huge fan of journaling.
I believe it’s a powerful tool to help you improve many things in your life, and one of those things is your sense of self-empowerment.
Here are a couple of journaling prompts that you can use every day to build your self-confidence and feel more empowered:
- What tiny steps can I take right now to improve my day?
- How can I make my space better and more comfortable for me?
- What would get me excited about life? How can I make it happen?
- What’s holding me back from achieving what I want? How can I overcome that obstacle?
There are many journaling prompts that can help you know yourself better or uncover your dreams.
Give them a try!
The Bottom Line
Empowering yourself is a journey, but it’s a journey that’s well worth taking.
Working on your sense of self-empowerment will help you feel happier and more fulfilled.
You’ll be able to set and reach your goals, live life on your own terms, and make the changes you want to see in yourself and your world.
It’s normal to feel intimidated or unsure at first, but remember that self-empowerment is a process.
Take things one step at a time, and don’t be too hard on yourself.
Celebrate your successes, no matter how small they may be, and keep going even when you hit a bump in the road.
Working on your self-empowerment will give you tools and skills to tackle life’s challenges and make the most of your potential.
Don’t wait any longer.
Start working on these self-empowerment tips today and start feeling confident, in control, and ready to make a positive difference in your life.
You can do this!
