By Dr. Z.
So this is it! You have decided to put the pain of the past behind and live an EMPOWERed life. You want to start over and start living, start winning, start loving, and start moving toward a POWERful and positive life. Well, Let’s get you started. This article serves as a starter kit toward EMPOWERing your life. Here, we propose 10 very easy steps that you can literally take within the next hour to jumpstart your empowerment. These steps are explained below.
1. Pray and meditate with gratitude
Your life is full of blessings, too many to count. Let’s count just a tiny few of your blessings.
- You are alive.
- You have a chance.
- You have a higher POWER who created you for POWER
- You found the consultation tower.
- And, we will work together to EMPOWER you.
Now that we have counted just a few of your blessings (and you should keep counting), take the time to pray and give thanks for all that you have, all that you are, and all that you will be. When it comes to growth and EMPOWERment, meditation is good medication. Meditate on these things and the goodness of life. There are 2 primary methods of meditation: There is the spiritual zen meditation that empties your mind for clarity. Then there is the spiritual scriptural meditation that that opens your heart for knowledge. Do both of these and continue to pray.
2. Identify and Unfriend your toxic “Friends” on social media.
This one is just as easily done as it is said. Identify and make a list of any toxic “friend.” On social media. Need help? Start with these people:
- “Friends” who never encourage you
- “Friends” who make nasty cynical jokes toward any of your positive posts
- “Friends” who spectate and watch every detail of your social media life, then copy-cat in direct competition with you.
- “Friends” who openly criticize you online for all to see.
- “Friends” who secretly talk badly about you to other friends.
- “Friends” who troll your page.
- “Friends” who share out negative information or pictures of you.
- “Friends” who refuse to acknowledge the new and EMPOWERed you, always making reference to the painful past to put you in your place.
Once you have this list, hit the unfriend button until they are gone, gone, and gone.
3. Continually think of 5 things that make you happy.
No detailed commentary is needed here. Make a short list of at least 5 things that make you happy. Hang up that list. Perhaps you can even make a picture board as a visual reference for that list, and think about those happy things over and over again.
4. Keep laughing and keep smiling.
Laughter is also medicine, only you can never overdose. We are giving you a prescription for laughter with unlimited refills. Find every positive opportunity to laugh and smile. Surround yourself with good people who are great for your soul. How do you know that you are surrounded by such people? Well, they make you laugh and keep you smiling. So, watch comedies, sitcoms, and feel good movies; and, keep the smile on your face.
5. List the people who have hurt you, and forgive them.
Your painful past is undoubtedly linked to people close to you who have caused that pain, including you. Dr. Z’s psychological law of forgiveness is this: Forgiveness relieves the pain of an offense while giving you POWER over the offender. So, make a list of any who has offended you, and forgive them with one big condition. Do not give them opportunities to offend you again. Do this, and you will rise above your offenders.
6. List 10 things that you want in life – and declare that you will get them.
The greatest part of knowing who you are is knowing what you want. Declare your top 10 positive desires. But this will not be a bucket list for death is not the focus. EMPOWERed life is the main focus. Maybe you want to finish a degree, learn to swim, earn a black-belt, hike a mountain, win a race, have a family, or earn a million a year. These goals are more than possible and you can EMPOWER your life to achieve each of these goals. List them, make a vision board for them, and say them out loud.
7. Think of a dream destination and put away 10-100 dollars toward that goal.
This is another very easy and straightforward goal. Think of the place that you always wanted to go. Perhaps Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Turks and Caicos, the Pyramids of Egypt, or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Whatever the dream location may be, mark an envelope with that label and put 10 dollars in it. When you have 100 dollars, meet up with a travel agent and make a plan. We encourage making a habit of this. So, start with an inexpensive destination, then work your way up. If you have never been to a museum, start there. Museums are usually very low cost and expose you to the world.
8. Treat everyone with respect and kindness, starting with you.
When the world is mean, kill them with kindness. People cannot argue with love and respect. They will still talk about you, still ignore you, still isolate you, but they cannot disrespect you. The real trick is to treat yourself first to the highest amount of love, respect, and kindness. When you have an abundance of love and respect for yourself, you will not only give it to others, but most others will give it to you, even if they do not want to.
9. Estimate your worth by multiplying your yearly salary by 10.
So, what are you worth moneywise? You may feel as if you are a financial underachiever, or that you do not make as much as the champions of our world. But, think again. You have so much greatness, so much to offer to the world, so many possibilities within you, that you are worth much more than you currently make. Your boss knows this, let’s make sure you know it with an activity that literally takes less than 30 seconds. So, if you want to start figuring out your worth, pull out a piece of paper. Write down your salary, then multiply it by 10. So, if you happen to make 40,000 dollars per year, your estimation should be 400,000 dollars per year. This is still below your worth, but it is a wonderful starting point.
10. Open an investment account and buy a share.
Last, we encourage you to take a tiny but POWERful and positive step toward improving your finances. Take a minute to open an investment account, fund it, and purchase an inexpensive share for a public company. Investment accounts (i.e. TD Ameritrade and Fidelity) can easily be opened online just like a checking account. Also, it is free to open the accounts. The stock does not have to be expensive. For example, Ford Motors is $9.25 per share as of the publication of this article. Just get started, but be sure to consult a credentialed financial planner for proper guidance.
Featured photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash