EMPOWER YOURSELF

By Winston Muleba Junior

Youths are the ultimate change maker. Behind all big and positive changes youth's contribution is inevitable, to this effect it is very important as a youth to know that whether you want to start a new business, get a better job or simply take charge of your life and change it for the better. No one is going to do this for you. It’s up to you to do it. You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of. - Jim Rohn

According to Peter a Business Consultant, Life Coach, Healer, Teacher as well as a Business & Personal Coach, Self-empowerment means to gain knowledge and understanding of the self. Think of it like this. If you knew absolutely nothing about a car and its inner workings, and the car broke down somewhere far from home. You would have no idea what to do to fix the car, so that you can go on. Yet if you had a good knowledge and understanding of the car and its inner workings then you could figure out what needs to be done, get the tools and spares to do it, and fix it. In this situation you would be empowered (feel empowered) for you would know what to do to get yourself going again. You would not just sit in the car and wait for someone to come and sort out the problem for you. So self-empowerment means to gain knowledge over the Self. In a similar way that you would have gained knowledge and understanding on the inner workings of the car.

It is an obvious case one would ask questions like, what can I do to empower myself? How can I have a better life? How can I start a business?

I have actually noted most of us as youths want to be empowered financially; I  believe that a youth can be empowered Physically, Emotionally, Mentally and Spiritually .I feel that financial empowerment is a combination of several of the others and want to give people additional tools to help achieve it for their own help and to help their family.

There is a lot of programming that people allow themselves to be a part of. If you allow yourself to be programmed you will be disempowered. It’s time to change the programming to believing in yourself and what you can do.

Do you empower yourself?

A positive attitude goes a long way, but when you combine a positive outlook with a system of both subtle and dramatic shifts in your approach to life, success will be waiting for you around the next turn.

The truth is, we are wholly responsible for all that happens to us in our lives. You cannot blame others. You cannot blame God. You cannot hold your parents or friends or family members or anyone else responsible for your life and blame them for your problems and disappointments. You and your life are shaped by your thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, beliefs, prejudices, and in short yourself. Others may interfere with your life, only to the extent you allow them.

This is the secret of our existence upon earth. You are the author of your life. You are the writer and director of the tragedy and comedy in your life. You write the screenplay. You invent the characters and the situations. Things that are seemingly beyond your control are in fact your own creations. They are the situations you have attracted towards yourself, knowingly or unknowingly, in this life or in some previous ones. You are creating your life, every moment, as you think, as you sleep, and as you act. When you realize the truth, you will not only make a giant leap forward in resolving the issues of your life, living  responsibly and actively, taking care of what needs to be done in your present situation, but also stop holding others responsible for it.

Whether you believe it or not, you are the driver of your life. You may seek the help of God or someone else to help you get things done. But it is a choice you make, not theirs. Whatever you are thinking now, whatever decisions you are making now, on whatever road you wish to travel now and at whatever speed, all these together determine where you will go ultimately and what you will achieve.

There are basically two fundamental ways in which you can position yourself in your life: one as an active participant, creating your own life dynamically through your thoughts, words and deeds and the second as a passive onlooker, blaming others for your problems and letting things happen to you without taking charge. You see people usually flit between these two categories, sometimes acting responsibly and at other times letting things happens to them. In either case you are the person who took the decision and made things happen either passively or actively.

When you accept the notion that you are the creator of your life, with God as your willing partner in case you have chosen Him to be your guide, you assume responsibility for both your successes and your failures. When things go wrong, instead of complaining and blaming others, you look at yourself or into your own self for necessary solutions. You will try to learn from your failures or think of better solutions to deal them. This is the greatest blessing of assuming responsibility for yourself and your life.  

When you accept responsibility for your life, you will see the many changes happening in your life, attitude and responses. As a youth you will be confident and ready for any eventuality. You set goals, create plans and put your plans into actions. You use your resources intelligently and efficiently. You begin to accept challenges realistically and deal with them with clarity and purpose.

This planet belongs to a multitude of living beings, not just humans but animals and plants. The environment in which you live is also shared by them. Some of the events that impact you also impact a million others. But not all the people live alike or react to their problems alike. When there is a crisis in life, some panic, while some stay calm. Some escape into fantasy and illusion, while some stand firm and face the reality. When the economy is in a downturn, some keep blaming the government and the business establishments, while some make steps to earn extra income or minimize their expenditure. There is always something you can do about the problems and situations in your life. You may not have control over the world in which you live. But you have control over your thoughts, actions and reactions. It is the manner in which you think, act, react or respond to external situations, where you can assume responsibility for your life and empower yourself to make things happen. Take charge of your life today. Make things happen.

What steps then do you need to attain Self-Empowerment now?

Firstly, you must eliminate the false, negative and outdated beliefs that support the “status quo” that boring world of obligations, expectations, limitations and regulations that hold you in bondage to a life that doesn’t make you happy. This is a creative process, not an intellectual one! You have to create the person you wish to become through eliminating everything that does not support your goals. Secondly step is to create a positive new belief system that supports living an authentic and happy life, by reflecting today's dreams, desires, hopes and aspirations. This, too, is a creative process, it is to start over with a blank canvas, and create yourself and your life as you imagine it to be.

To attain Self-Empowerment now you must embrace change, consider this; why does a terrorist entertain thoughts of killing, while a Buddhist monk contemplates world peace? The answer is clear; your belief system serves as the mental machinery from which your thoughts emerge, like a cosmic bubble machine that automatically pumps out what it has been programed to produce. Negative beliefs spawn negative thoughts that lead to negative results, and positive beliefs spawn positive thoughts that lead to positive results.

To change your actions, change your thoughts. To change your thoughts, change your beliefs. To change your beliefs, stop surviving in the stagnant factory of your past and start creating a fresh new foundation for life in the brave new world of the present!

You are, in reality, the ultimate creator of your own life experience. To attain self-empowerment now, open your mind. Question your beliefs. Throw out what’s outdated and embrace what’s new, exciting and life affirming. When your beliefs change, your thoughts change. And when your thoughts change, your life will change. Embrace change and live a happy life!