Self-empowerment, where we take control of our own lives by making mindful, informed and positive choices based on the way we want our lives to be, can at times feel unattainable. It means having the self-confidence to believe that we deserve to succeed at our jobs, family lives, friendships, health goals and relationships. 

But if we reach the Holy Grail of self-empowerment then it doesn’t just benefit us. We can then use it to empower the people around us. Before we know it, we’re in a positive cycle of serendipity and we all benefit. 

This month, more than ever, empowering others will be a big topic of discussion as Tuesday 8th March marks International Women's Day where women are celebrated around the world. This year, the theme is #BreakTheBias where a gender equal world with zero stereotypes or discrimination is imagined. 

So, how do we empower ourselves and then use that to empower other people? Here’s our advice…

How to empower yourself:

• First and foremost, be kind to yourself. Treat yourself with the kindness and compassion that your best friend would treat you with. Allow yourself to feel the feelings and emotions that you need to, and give yourself a break if you feel like you’ve made a poor choice or a wrong decision. 
• Be brave – feeling the fear and doing it anyway can be really scary. But if you ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen, and you answer honestly, you might find that it doesn’t feel so daunting. Then, when you do it, and it goes well, think of how amazing you’ll feel! If it doesn’t quite go to plan, then you can still congratulate yourself for giving it a go, and celebrate the bits that did go well. 
• Push yourself to do things that scare you, often. It might be going running by yourself, or joining an evening class, or even plucking up the courage to speak to someone new to build a new friendship. But each time, you’ll be empowering yourself to feel more confident. 
• Ridding yourself of anyone in your life that brings negativity or makes you feel like you’re not deserving or enough, is easier said than done. We form complex and intricate relationships as adults, and cutting free from them, especially if they’re a partner, family member, in-law or colleague is hard. But trying to block out their toxic negativity by imagining it literally bouncing off you will help. 
• Own Your Goals! Reaching your health and fitness goals is one of the most empowering things you can do. So keep up with your OYG plan and make healthy diet choices and each day you’ll be a step closer. 

How to empower other people

Empowering others is all about building them up, praising them, helping them recognise their own strong points and telling them how much they’re appreciated. This is easier when we ourselves are also feeling empowered, but it’s not impossible to boost someone else even when we’re feeling low. 

Doing so, when we’re feeling under par ourselves can also help to make our own mind more positive – and how virtuous is that?!