I’m a coach and serve the empowerment of people. Being that I’m a representative of this movement to some degree, I want to address hyper-empowerment and the impact of “look at me” empowerment.The look at me stuff usually involves memes about everything you can accomplish, how wide open this oyster’s shell of life is, displays of physical beauty or wealth by societal standards, physical acts of determination and public displays of gym activities.
None of those things are bad. Plenty of them are lovely, for sure.
But there is also nothing bad about not being one of those people that feels this way about life…yet, or ever.
It’s ok if you never climbed a rock wall.
It’s ok if you feel like there is someone inside of you that you could be but haven’t been.
It’s ok if you’re not a tough mudder or cross-fitter.
It’s ok if you don’t feel you resonate with messages of how amazing life is and can be.
And it’s ok to love and appreciate those whose lives do seem to look like this without feeling pressure to be anything like them.
Peace with who you are and are not is truly the great gift of the empowerment game. It’s the starting spot (not line because there is no one direction to go in) and it can take plenty of valuable work just to get there.
Nothing authentically powerful is available without the clarity that leaves “shoulds” behind. This freedom makes real joy possible, the kind that connects to who you are and have always been before there were any pressures to “be somebody”.
If you struggle with any of this, the pull of needing to be somebody, to be impressive or just to keep going in the same direction every day in this life you set up for yourself by following rules and doing the right thing, doing what your younger self thought was a good idea. If you struggle to find or hear your inner voice amidst all the noise of life and our minds, don’t let the (seeming) clarity of others get under your skin or make you feel like you need to be more like them. Spend that time and energy looking, discovering who you are and letting those voices fade out, whether they be mom and dad, friends or the endless stream of messaging we see every day.
It’s not easy, but it is worth it to find that peaceful center. True empowerment, where nothing at all has to happen. Here, our choices start to come alive, because they become clear reflections of who we have always been.
These are truly my favorite conversations. The ones where we get to discover who you really are (who I am, too!). It’s a front row seat to the greatest show on earth…freedom.
And you don’t need to want that, either.
Love,
Gregg