I'VE GOT THE POWER
Empowerment .
Photos by: Stephanie Ramson of She Saw Style
What does it mean, and what does it look like to be lived out?
“Empowerment to me means, being proud and unashamed of who you are and using that strength to share love with others and boost them up. I feel the most empowered when I’m able to be 100% myself, when I’m confident in the way I look (might sound shallow, but it’s true), and when I’m around people who encourage me and are real with me and I can do the same right back!”
“For the longest time I felt I needed a man in my life, but my empowerment came from understanding that I didn’t need a man for me to be classified as successful. If I waited and focused on my own success I would essentially find someone who would not only compliment, but also be encouraged by my success. And help me become even more successful.”
“When I feel confident in my own skin- muscles!!!
Also, being vulnerable makes me feel very strong-like through songwriting”
“Self Care!”
When I originally came up with this blog post, I made a list of when I feel the most empowered. It was an eclectic list and I could have gone on about each thing for an entire post, but instead I found that there was an underlying theme in all of them. And decided on this:
It’s the moments when I’m embracing who I am, the way I was created to be, knowing fully that I’m loved no matter what, that give me the ability to help others do the same and that is my sweet spot of empowerment.
But then I went back and forth, because I couldn’t decide if I actually did I feel truly empowered or just confident, or are they the same?
So I broke apart the word and I asked myself what does it look like to give someone power?
To me, giving someone power is giving them a voice when theirs is taken away or ignored, or by simply standing in solidarity with them.
There are people who are marginalized and mistreated that desperately need everyone else to listen and be a part of invoking change in the world.
I do believe you can give power to yourself too. By being confident and allowing myself to embrace what makes me, me, is giving myself power to live freely and to prepare me to empower others.
What does empowerment mean to you?
What does it look like in your life?
And how do you go about empowering others?