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AUTHOR OF BEYOND HAPPINESS, FEATURING THE SUSTAINABLE LIFE SATISFACTION® BRAND AND SPECIALIZING IN COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY.

5 techniques to help you achieve an increased sense of empowerment.

Originally published August 14, 2020 on psychologytoday.com

 I devoted my first blog post from the H.E.A.R series to (H) Hope and shared six proven techniques to assist you in manifesting a more positive and hopeful outlook on your life. In this second installment, I want to discuss the importance of (E) Empowerment and its natural compatibility with being more hopeful. Psychological empowerment is composed of four cognitions: meaning, self-determination, competence, and impact.

Empowerment involves your awareness to identify your goals while exercising the ability to develop your mental and physical levels of competency to complete them. It requires active hearing and accepting feedback non-defensively. When processed effectively, empowerment manifests more self-confidence and a renewed sense of purpose.

Here are five techniques to help you achieve an increased sense of empowerment:

1. Honestly assess yourself.

Honestly assess yourself by increasing awareness of your strengths and weaknesses. Pay attention to what you have control over in your life. Make sure the goals you set for yourself are achievable and can be mastered without involvement from the outside world.

When we have an external locus of control, we feel powerless. If the opposite occurs, and we have an internal locus of control, it yields a sense of power.

“Those with a strong internal locus of control are likely to feel that their actions have an effect on the world around them,” cited noted psychologist and professor, Gretchen M. Spreitzer (1995).

It moves intended acts into acts of achievement. Achieving success builds self-esteem.

2. Don’t be afraid to accept advice from a few trusted sources.

When you’re facing many challenges that you may not be able to resolve, it’s okay to abandon the “I must do this by myself” attitude. Listening objectively to a few reliable sources can be an asset. Choose wisely. Try to consult with a role model, mentor, or someone you naturally trust.

When you ask for help, you ultimately determine and decide whether the information or opinions offered are beneficial. Learning to assess what you feel is best, will help you develop a sense of purpose, effectiveness, and self-respect. It reinforces your ability to judge options and form opinions. When you’re successful in this process, you experience self-empowerment.

3. Develop an action plan.

When you develop an action plan, there are important criteria required to maintain your internal locus of control. Make sure you choose a goal that focuses on your strengths and is within your sphere of control. Don’t “shoot for the moon.” Break large goals into small achievable ones. Close them and then move onto the next. By doing so, you will feel armed and empowered with a sense of achievement, mastery, and power.

4. Track your progress.

Document and maintain a daily account and list of your achievements. Measure and evaluate your level of your progress in executing goals. Reviewing evidence will challenge negative thinking which previously may have upheld powerlessness as a part of your core belief system. By changing the narrative to demonstrate your effectiveness in the world, you restructure your core belief system to be more about empowerment.

Try to develop a daily or weekly exercise regimen that will you help build strength, discipline, perseverance, and power. When your body feels stronger, by extension, you’ll experience a noticeable rise in your level of self-confidence. Once your body feels agile and nimble, your mind will too.

Empowerment, coupled with a hopeful outlook, can dramatically improve your feelings of competence and a level of mental health. Find out how (A) Adaptation can complement strides you’re making in Hope and Empowerment in next month’s post.

References

“Psychological Empowerment,” by Kwanghyun Kim, Soyeon Lee, www.oxfordbibliographies.com,                  April 28, 2016.

“Psychological Empowerment in the Workplace: Dimensions, Measurement, and Validation,” by Gretchen M. Spreitzer, Academy of Management Journal, October 1, 1995