Pay it forward: Why you need to empower others

“Empowerment is not a static commodity which, once earned, is with you forever like the skill of riding a bicycle. You have to constantly nurture it, protect it, practice it and pass it on if you want it to stay strong within you.”
By Kari Fulmek

Power in the sense of empowered living is not about the control and domination of the people around you.

An empowered life is not one lived at the expense of another. It is not power in the traditional sense of a boss having power over his or her employees. It is the farthest possible thing from that.

Living an empowered life just means that you have power over yourself and your own life, and that you use your power and energy to create a force for positive change in your home, in your work, in your community and in the broader world you live in.

Remember that for every person you empower, it triples your own empowerment and extends its life.

There are complex problems in today’s world that need solving, not the least of which is the disengagement and disempowerment of the majority of the world’s work force.

Nobody has all the solutions to these problems, though each of us may have insight and ideas on how to lead people back to authentic living.

Being empowered means being able and willing to work towards solutions with respect for the opinions and skills of others. It means being open to listening without judgment to the contributions of others.

How can you use your gifts and your empowered attitude to be a force for change in the world?

Here are three things you can do:

• Engage with others. Take all the opportunities that life offers to build bridges to reach people. Approach them with a smile and a non-judgmental attitude.
• Help others be empowered. Help the people in your life to challenge their self-doubt and use their special gift to the best advantage in the world. Encourage people to create in whatever way that moves them.
• Share ideas and listen to others. Encourage brainstorming within your circles of friends and colleagues, and treat each other’s ideas with respect. Encourage an atmosphere of participating and growing together.

By starting within your own circles to empower others, you can move forward to a broader challenge of looking for solutions to bigger, global issues.

Don’t forget to blend your empowerment with kindness to magnify its reach.

Kari Fulmek is the author of “Two Weeks to Empowerment: How to take charge of your life and find your true purpose” and the founder and owner of Equine Connection – The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning Inc. She is a Certified Master EAL Instructor and a Certified EAL Facilitator. From her base near Calgary, AB in the foothills of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, she travels the globe to empower clients. To learn more about Kari, visit her website at: https://equineconnection.ca.