If you’re like me, you light up when you discover TRUE leadership in the world: leaders whose vision invokes a higher purpose and who have a passion for their work that is pure and infectious. St. Joan of Arc is a perfect example of an indomitable spirit on fire with purpose, as are Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi. And then there’s Malala Yousafzai, whose personal mission and orated letter to the abducted Chibok schoolgirls represent some of the most inspirational courage I’ve ever witnessed.
What each of these leaders has in common is deep-seated self-empowerment.
The simple truth about empowerment is you cannot be truly empowered without a strong foundation of self-empowerment. While there are a plethora of empowerment programs in the world today, many of which are aimed at women, the vast majority of these programs serve to give people something outside of themselves: access to economic resources, training, skill-building, a broader network, mentors, sponsors, and even inspiration. But these critical resources are ineffective without a foundation of worthiness, value, and an intrinsic belief in oneself.
Because, you can give someone limitless resources, but they will have no effect if the person stands in their own way due to fear, lack, self-doubt, unsupportive thoughts and beliefs, or underlying feelings of unworthiness.
The truest empowerment comes from within.
During the last few years my “volunteer life” focus has moved to helping leaders and entrepreneurs awaken their inner empowerment and let go of everything they have (unwittingly) allowed to get in their way. What I didn’t realize early on is just how pervasive it is for humans to stand in our own way. Even a simple principle such as focusing on what you DO want – instead of what you DON’T want – has a profound impact in your success. Yet, how often do we say, “What I don’t want is…” What happens when we do this? We get more and more of what we don’t want. Because all our brain can see is our focus on that which we don’t want…it cannot discern our preference to not have it; it just focuses on it.
This is huge.
So, to be a leader that truly lights the world on fire, whether in your family, company, community, or the world at large, it all starts by looking deep within yourself for the source of your purest personal power, and then removing the blocks that have built up over time. Think of it like this: the way we dig deep within the earth to find the most valuable diamond, and then remove everything around it to access its beauty.
That diamond deep within us? Self-empowerment that gets its source from self-awareness and love; it all starts here.
Photo by JewelersTouch.com
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