Self-empowerment means to have control of your own life.
It means accepting responsibility and accountability for
your life in every respect - your thoughts, words, actions,
choices, decisions and creations. Self-awareness, vision,
purpose, commitment and making a contribution are the
keys to becoming a confident, empowered person. All you
need to start your journey to self-empowerment is the
intention to do it.
| 1. |
Spend
some time each day reading inspirational literature,
meditating, praying or listening to motivational,
self-development tapes, to set the tone of your
day. Starting the day off well is a powerful strategy
for personal effectiveness. |
| 2.
|
Do not allow those
things that matter the most in your life to be at
the mercy of activities that matter the least. Take
time every day to plan and prioritise your day and
ask yourself the question "Is what I’m
planning to do today bringing me closer to my goal
or taking me further away from it?” |
| 3.
|
The quality of
your communication with others and your inner communication
reflects your life. |
| 4. |
What you focus
on is what you get. If you look for the positive,
you draw positive events and people to you. This
is a Universal Law. |
| 5. |
Focus on purpose,
not on outcome. In other words, perform the task
because it is a valuable exercise. Don't do it for
the money or the recognition. The money and recognition
will follow at the right time. |
| 6. |
Learn to be still.
Develop the skill of sitting quietly, enjoying the
powerful silence for at least ten minutes a day.
Simply think about what is important to you in your
life. Reflect on your goals. |
| 7. |
Develop your willpower.
Curb your worldly desires and you will strengthen
your will. |
| 8. |
Make an effort to be humorous throughout
the day. |
| 9. |
Become a highly
disciplined time manager. Be ruthless with your
time. Set aside a few minutes each morning to plan
your day. Never let the things that matter most
be hampered by the things that matter least. |
| 10. |
Associate only
with positive, focused people whom you can learn
from and who will not drain your valuable energy. |
| 11. |
You must have
a mission statement in life. This is simply a set
of guiding principles, which clearly state where
you are going and where you want to be at the end
of your life. A mission statement embodies your
values. |
| 12. |
No one can insult
or hurt you without your permission. One of the
golden keys to happiness and great success is the
way you interpret events, which unfold before you.
Highly successful people are master interpreters. |
| 13. |
When you get angry, you give your power
away. |
| 14. |
We teach people
how to treat us. Be gentle and kind but tough as
nails when it comes to your principles. |
| 15. |
Never
discuss your health, wealth and other personal matters
with anyone outside of your immediate family. Be
very disciplined in this regard. |
| 16. |
Be truthful, patient, persevering,
modest and generous. |
| 17. |
Reward yourself for even the smallest
of achievement. |
| 18. |
Use the power
of affirmation. Go to my website www.successfactory.co.za
and learn how to write your own affirmations –
click on articles. |
| 19. |
Write a journal
to measure your progress and to express your thoughts.
Writing down not only your successes but also your
issues, is one of the most effective ways to clear
emotions. |
| 20. |
Practice forgiveness
- especially in those situations where it is seemingly
difficult. By using your emotional forgiveness muscles
more regularly, petty wrongs, remarks and slights
will not touch you and nothing will disturb your
inner peace. |
| 21. |
Two of the fundamentals
for a happy, joyful life are balance and moderation.
One must maintain a balance of all activities and
do nothing in extremes. |
| 22. |
Spend time in Nature. |
| 23. |
Never neglect
your body, which is intimately connected to the
mind. This is your temple. Feed it the finest fuels,
exercise daily and care for it. |
| 24. |
Be so strong that
nothing interferes with your peace of mind. Do not
allow negative thoughts to take hold of your mind. |
| 25. |
Be careful about
your reputation. Always reflect on your course of
action before acting. |
| 26. |
Do a SWOT
analysis on yourself. Acknowledge your Strengths,
Weaknesses,
Opportunities
and Threats
- and work with it. |
| 27. |
Don’t complain.
Be known as a positive, strong, energetic and enthusiastic
person. |
| 28. |
Create your image
as a highly competent, strong, disciplined, calm
and decent individual. |
| 29. |
Familiarity breeds
contempt. Keep a distance from all but closest of
relations. Once people see everything of a leader
he loses his aura - and with it the authority and
mystique he may have created. |
| 30. |
Remain well informed about current
events. |
| 31. |
When choosing
your life partner, remember that this is the most
important decision of your lifetime. Consider qualities
such as affection, sense of humour, intelligence,
integrity, maturity, temperament, compatibility
and that indescribable characteristic of chemistry. |
| 32. |
Schedule relaxation time into your
week and be ruthless in protecting it. |
| 33. |
Set aside a certain
amount of time to ponder over a problem and map
out an effective plan of action. Once this is done,
let it go and do not dwell on it. |
| 34. |
Peak performers are physically relaxed
and mentally engaged. |
| 35 |
Prepare a detailed
financial spending plan each month (see my website
www.successfactory.co.za
for an article on Personal Finance – Spending
Plan) and stick to it. Financial security leads
to personal freedom. |
| 36. |
Lao-Tzu prized
three essential qualities for a person of greatness:
"the first is gentleness; the second is frugality;
the third is humility. |
| 37. |
Appoint someone
(a coach) who can provide you with inspiration,
motivation and support for your goals and aspirations.
Map out a strategy and take their wise counsel. |
| 38. |
Pursue a productive, exciting and active
life. |
| 39. |
Engage in meaningful activities every
day. |
| 40. |
Develop an organised, planned lifestyle
with little chaos. |
| 41. |
Set realistic goals yet keep your mark
high. |
| 42. |
Have fun. |
| 43. |
Learn to live in the present. The past
is water under the bridge. |
| 44. |
Strive to be humble and live a simple
life. |
| 45. |
Be committed to what you are doing. |
| 46. |
Look like a winner and act like one. |
| 47. |
Be known for the strength of your character. |
| 48. |
Have grace under pressure. |
| 49 |
Play hard and play fair in work, life
and love. |
| 50. |
Aristotle said:
"Anybody can become angry - that is easy; but
to be angry with the right person, and to the right
degree, and at the right time, and for the right
purpose, and in the right way - that is not within
everybody's power and is not easy." |
| 51. |
Applied knowledge is power. Apply your
knowledge at every opportunity. |
| 52. |
Network and cultivate
new friendships. Treat everyone who crosses your
path as if they are the most important person in
your life. |
| 53. |
Develop a sense
of wonder about the world. Be an explorer. Find
pleasure in things. |
| 54. |
Daily reflection
and introspection will help you to eradicate unproductive
behaviour and reinforce good behaviour. |
| 55. |
Push yourself just a little harder
and a little further each day. |
| 56. |
Fill your mind
and heart with positive thoughts of serenity, strength,
courage and compassion and allow your actions to
reflect the same. |
| 57. |
Give unconditionally of your love,
time and effort. |
| 58. |
Do things that
you do not like doing. This may be preparing a report
you’ve been putting off or shining your shoes.
It does not matter how small the task - just do
it! This is an age-old technique to build strength
of character. |
| 59. |
True happiness
and motivation come from only one thing: achievement
of goals, whether they are personal, professional
or otherwise. You will have boundless energy, vitality
and motivation. |
| 60. |
Develop an indomitable
spirit along with courtesy and integrity. The repetition
of these three traits will make you an exceptionally
powerful individual, respected by all. |
| 61. |
Read more. Learn more. Laugh more.
Love more. |
| 62. |
Pick five relationships
that you desire to improve over the next six months.
Write down the names of these people and under each
name detail why you want to improve the relationship,
how you plan to do so and by when. |
| 63. |
Be known as someone
with a cool head, warm heart and great character.
Your presence on this earth will long be remembered.
|
| 64. |
Demonstrate refined and gentle manners. |
| 65. |
Be the most honest
person that you know. Be trustworthy - worthy of
the trust of others. |
If you have not laughed today, you have not lived today.
Laugh hard and loud. As William James said: "we don't
laugh because we are happy, we are happy because we laugh."
