Empowerment is a word that gets tossed around a lot, but what does it actually mean?
I’m just gonna come out and say it:
Life is hard.
No isht, you might respond.
Hear me out.
It’s so easy to overlook what a miracle life is. It’s a miracle to be alive and to have survived whatever life has thrown our way. I know my recent story is miraculous in ways that even on my best days, I cannot comprehend. A miracle, as we all know, is an amazing or wonderful event. Taking a closer look at the word’s etymology, the Proto-Indo-European word smeyros (through Proto-Italic smeiros), means “smiling or laughing.” This root passed into Latin as mirus, which became miraculum in French, then miracle in English. I sometimes like to flex the fact I am a trained linguist.
It is worth mentioning that life is remarkable when it’s free from pain and suffering. It’s much more the exception to not have pain than the general rule. don’t mean to be depressing, just real.
The good news? We’ve all had moments of feeling unencumbered by pain and suffering. We’ve all had moments where we felt like we were on top of the world. In fact, those moments are the reason we keep going when life comes crashing down around us — because we know that those moments are coming again soon enough.
We all want to feel empowered, happy, and ready for whatever comes our way. But most of us don’t realize how much we’re holding ourselves back.
I believe you have it within you to accomplish your goals and live a meaningful, joyful life. No matter what’s happened or what’s going on around you, YOU are in control of your destiny.
Baby Kayla wearing Me Power merch.
What is Me Power?
Me Power is a new way to think about empowerment because it’s rooted in community, putting an emphasis on the power within so that we can all be better equipped to handle whatever life throws at us. At the heart of being equipped with the unexpected nature of a life well-lived is finding new ways to see our situations for what they really are: opportunities for learning and growth.
While rooted in community, me power is a type of power that comes from within. We don’t get it from other people or places; instead, we create it and control its flow by the way we think, act, and interact with the people and the world around us.
Me power is about trusting yourself to know what you need. It’s affirming, with boots on sometimes shaky ground, “I have control over my life and my choices.” It can be overwhelming, so how do you stay in control and keep your head above water?
You take action and lean on your community or those individuals with whom you create common unity. You can start by learning more about who you are, in the here and now, and by exploring how else you might want to show up in the world.
Last week, I asked about what gives your life meaning. Several of you told me about the people you love, art, music, wellness, self-care, and self-love. All of these add meaning to my life, too. Thank you for sharing. I feel an immense sense of gratitude to be here with you, in this lifetime, once again.
Three ⚡️ in 31 Seconds
⚡️ Of the nearly 70,000 thoughts you have a day, how conscious are you of them? Have you ever taken the time to examine them? What are they made of?
⚡️ Me Power, or the true definition of empower, is a way to deal with life’s unexpected ills and misfortunes that inevitably pop up out of nowhere. Embrace your barriers and use them as a means to grow and become stronger in ways you never thought possible.
⚡️ Me Power is like the red pill in The Matrix — it’s about seeing things for what they really are and understanding that you have a choice about how to engage with them. Once you see your world for what it really is, you’ll realize that you have the power to change it.
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP GET WEEKLY INSPIRATION