These tips on finding your power will help you to find your way out of feeling stuck so that you can take the next step toward what you want in life.
Are you feeling stuck?
Whether you’re in the midst of an anxious episode or feeling stuck in your career, sometimes it feels like the world just isn’t working with you. You may feel powerless to change your situation and find yourself asking, Why does this keep happening to me? or What can I do to get myself out of this feeling stuck? Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can free yourself from that feeling and find your power once again.
Finding Your Power Is A Personal Journey
The power within is something that we each have to discover for ourselves.
Finding it may be a challenge, but when you do, you’ll find that nothing is impossible. No challenge will be too great; no task will be too daunting.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
And once you’ve found your power, finding your purpose should follow easily.
Finding Your Power Starts With The Relationship You Have With Yourself
Learn to love yourself
The more love you have for yourself, the easier it is to do whatever it takes to live your best life. Loving yourself means accepting who you are no matter what anyone else says or does.
This can be challenging because people don’t always approve of who we are as individuals, but learning to love yourself means not letting their opinions dictate how you feel about yourself. And remember that regardless of how other people treat you, loving yourself is an attitude that must come from within.
Get to know yourself
Most of us take for granted that we have an internal map of our minds, but if you don’t think you do, a great way to start is by simply getting to know yourself.
What are your passions?
What do you like to spend time doing?
How do you deal with stress?
Allowing yourself a little bit of introspection every day can provide some clarity as well as a sense of power within.
Give yourself time to fully develop the relationship with yourself
It can be hard to make yourself a priority in your life.
If you’re feeling like you want to get in touch with your passions but you’re not sure how to take that first step, it might be helpful to begin by cultivating some self-awareness.
Spend time every day sitting down with yourself, writing out some thoughts about what makes you happy, what excites you. Really dig deep into those feelings.
Once you’ve identified what it is that makes you feel at your best, start finding ways to incorporate those things into your daily life. A great way to do that is by setting aside time each day just for yourself. Think about how you’d like to spend that time—reading a book? Going for a walk? Making art?
This may sound simple but it can actually be very difficult in our otherwise busy lives.
Forgive yourself
Forgiving yourself for a mistake, for your actions or inactions, is a huge step toward power.
The first step to finding your power is to forgive yourself for your mistakes—even when you know you did something wrong. There’s no use beating yourself up over things you can’t change.
Empowering yourself doesn’t mean making mistakes and never taking responsibility—it means forgiving yourself and moving on.
The future belongs to those who let go of their past mistakes with grace.
Pay attention to what scares you and address your fears
Examine your biggest fears and turn them into opportunities for growth.
The root of every fear is a desire to be more powerful or capable. That’s why anything that scares you is a good thing—it means there’s an opportunity to take on a challenge, master new skills, stretch yourself, get out of your comfort zone, etc.
That said, your fears can also paralyze you. So start by asking yourself what scares you most about your biggest goals and dreams? What is it that keeps you up at night, and what are your greatest concerns?
As you explore these questions, do your best to put aside judgment about what you’re feeling. There’s no right or wrong way to react—just notice that you’re feeling something.
Then, choose a fear that resonates with you, sit with it for a while (don’t immediately try to change your reaction or get rid of it), see what it feels like in your body, pay attention to any judgments that come up around your feelings.
Release fear
Fear is a natural human emotion. But sometimes we let our fears run wild, immobilizing us from moving forward with our lives or keeping us from trying something new. One of my favorite quotes is from C. JoyBell C., “Don’t be afraid of your fears. They’re not there to scare you. They’re there to let you know that something is worth it.”
If we’re paralyzed by fear, then it’s not surprising that we’re also unhappy–but taking risks and stepping outside your comfort zone can also be incredibly rewarding, as well as necessary for improving your life and making progress in any field.
The key to conquering fears is identifying what they are–something which becomes easier once you start paying attention to them.
When you’re able to confront your fears head-on, you come out stronger on the other side—and find the power within yourself to overcome anything.
Actions You Can Take To Tap Into Your Power
Gratitude
Appreciate what you have, instead of focusing on what you don’t.
When you truly know what to be grateful for, in your life, that feeling of appreciation alone can propel you forward.
Gratitude can motivate us to accomplish more than we ever imagined possible and it also helps us feel fulfilled. In fact, gratitude has been shown to increase happiness levels significantly as well as creating a sense of calm within us.
So how do we cultivate a sense of gratitude?
Simply become aware of all that is working in your life; appreciate every little thing. Yes even those things about yourself which you don’t think are good enough!
Each day make an effort to see how far you’ve come from where you were yesterday or last week, or even further back than that if need be.
The book, The Magic by Rhonda Byrne, is a great book to help you start to cultivate gratitude in your life daily, and create an attitude of gratitude.
Additional Reading: 5 Ways to Feel Gratitude in Challenging Times
Just Breathe
Breathing is your body’s natural way of calming itself down when you feel overwhelmed or stressed.
Deep breathing has been shown to reduce stress hormones and actually improve our mood, so take a few minutes each day to close your eyes, breathe deeply through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth, and focus on relaxing. Even better: once you find a comfortable pace, try pairing it with different visualizations.
Accept What Is
The first step to finding your power is to accept where you are.
Admittedly, sometimes it can be hard to take a deep breath, acknowledge where you’re at, and move on from there—but nothing great in life comes easy.
By accepting what is, instead of fighting it or denying it (which can often lead to stress), you’ll find your power much quicker.
Once you do, it will be easier for you to take action on new things that support your goals and life’s path.
One of my favorite ways to practice acceptance is by meditating.
When I take deep breaths while meditating, I’m able to truly accept where I am in that moment—which can be difficult when you’re busy with life or feel like you have a lot going on.
If you don’t have time for daily meditation, try sitting quietly (without any distractions) for 5 minutes at a time whenever possible; it will also help your overall stress levels and help to release any negative thoughts that arise in your mind.
Set Goals
The most efficient way to get yourself out of feeling stuck is to set goals.
Set a goal that makes you uncomfortable, either in your professional or personal life, why not both. Then, create an action plan to reach that goal by working through your current sticking point(s). Go outside of your comfort zone.
Do something you’ve never done before. Take a dance class, volunteer somewhere, or start that side business you’ve been thinking about for months but haven’t been able to make time for yet.
Once you’ve created a list of actionable goals, break them down into smaller parts.
This makes it easier to work through any obstacles or setbacks you may face along your journey. If a goal isn’t working out, tweak it, re-work it or set new goals until you find what works for you. Sometimes finding your power within yourself means letting go of something that no longer serves you so that you can be in alignment with what does serve you.
Ask for Help
Sometimes we feel like if we ask for help, that means we’re weak.
Just because you need help doesn’t mean you aren’t strong enough to handle what comes your way. Asking for help is just another opportunity to find the power within yourself; be sure to see it as such when next you need assistance.
Ways To Ask For Help
Hire a Coach. It’s true, we all have blind spots, even when it comes to our strengths and weaknesses. This is where a coach can help; they are an objective party who can help you identify what you need to do to be successful. Think of a coach as another set of eyes on your path to success; if you think it would be beneficial for you to hire one, then go for it!
Find a therapist. Therapy is wonderful; it’s an opportunity to talk with someone who isn’t invested in you personally but wants to help you work through what’s stopping you from growing as an individual.
Many people dismiss therapy as something for crazy people—it isn’t! Everyone struggles; seeking therapy is smart if it will help give you another perspective on how to handle your struggles. You are worth it!
Find a positive, supportive community. Surrounding yourself with positive, encouraging people can make all of the difference in your journey to success. A community of like-minded individuals will be able to offer advice that may not occur to you on your own.
Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals who want to see you succeed is incredibly important. Whether it’s joining a gym, taking classes, going to church, or meeting up with your friends on Friday nights for dinner, be sure to spend time with people who aren’t going to tear you down but will instead lift you up.
Use Affirmations/Positive Thinking
Although it’s easy to fall into a rut, think about what you’re focusing on. Is it productive? Are you staying positive? Do your words match your actions?
If not, you may want to try using affirmations. Affirmations are simple statements that help realign how you think of yourself. They have power because they remind us of our higher selves; they shift our focus from one thing we don’t like about ourselves to all things we do like—and can change for good if practiced often enough. Think about what self-defeating thoughts might be tripping you up, and write them down so that every time you read them, your thinking changes for the better.
What Finding Your Power Really Boils Down To
Your power is within you. And finding it changes you from the inside out.
Have you lost touch with what truly makes you happy? Do what is needed to change that!
What if you woke up tomorrow morning, looked at your schedule for the day, and realized you only had one thing on your to-do list? Just one item. That would be pretty amazing!
Suddenly, you’d have time to do whatever it is that makes you happy. What would you do with that time? Most people who are overly busy aren’t always sure they know what they want or even what makes them happy anymore.
You find your power when you dig deep within yourself and ask yourself these questions:
- Who am I really?
- What does my heart desire?
- What fills me with passion?
This gives you a clear picture of what you truly want out of life because now you’re working from a place of love instead of from a place of fear or desperation. This exercise also provides clarity around what your next steps should be.
With a clear vision for your ideal life, take action.
What do you need to start doing to get there?
How can you implement these changes today?
Also, notice if your daily routine is reflecting what your heart desires or not.
If it isn’t, then ask yourself why.
Find your power by tuning into you!
