Kanyi Okeke
However, sometimes it can be very intimidating to throw yourself at projects, opportunities, ideas and dreams if you are not sure what is going to happen. Will you be good enough? What if you are making the wrong choice? There are always ways to find excuses and reasons to stay in your ‘safe haven’, but will that really make you happy in the end? Maybe now it’s a ‘what if it goes wrong’, but in ten years it would become a ‘what if I would have succeeded’… and we don’t want that to happen!
Below are my personal ’empower techniques’ to help you chase your dreams and ambitions, because even if you don’t believe in yourself yet, I do! So many people (especially women) underestimate their own capacities, and because of the fear of failing they never try to cross their self-set boundaries. Maybe it’s time that you rose above yourself!
5 ways to empower yourself:
1. REALLY think about it: why wouldn’t you be able to do that?
Is it because you cannot do it or because YOU THINK that you cannot do it? I thought I would never be able to learn how to use Photoshop or how to do my own administration, but I’m getting better every day! Don’t expect magic to happen overnight, but appreciate every small progress you make, it will feed your confidence!
More tips when you continue……
2. Ask family and friends what they truly think about you and your goals.
I did this when I was starting my blog and I got some very surprising answers! Not only did they give me compliments or thoughts on things I personally never even thought about, they also gave me some very useful tips and interesting ways of thinking! Your family and friends love you, but that doesn’t mean they keep telling you that every single day, all you have to do is ask!
3. Where do you want to be in five years?
Choose a long-term goal and then set up smaller steps to get there. Like this the ‘overwhelming ambitious goal’ is not that unreachable anymore! I decided that later on I want to become creative director/editor for a fashion magazine so that’s why I’m working on my own blog to gain experience, studying a master in art direction & creative advertising, and following the work of other creative directors/ editors to see how they work. Am I becoming a creative director tomorrow? Nope. In five years? Maybe… Good things take time, but they will be worth it. Empower Yourself.
It often helps to remind yourself of what’s realistic and what’s possible, and the best way to do that is to look at what others have achieved, and the stories they share. For example, Travis Preston CalArts has a lot to share regarding their career and can be a valuable resource for actors or other members of the industry to get a good idea of where they could be in five years’ time if they really put their minds to it.
4. Decide to prove your negative thoughts they are wrong!
You always have people not believing in you, and it feels great to prove them wrong as well. But let’s face it: usually it’s your own insecurity that kills your confidence. Just keep in mind that you (like any other human being) have ups and downs and you will surpass everything as long as you keep working on your goal. You don’t have to grow super-fast every week, but as long as you don’t completely stand still you are doing fine! Don’t be so hard for yourself, just remember all the progress you already made since you started and you’ll see that your work is worth it.
5. Keep reminding yourself of your ultimate goal to stay motivated.
Personally I like to dream about what opportunities I will face in the future, the things I will learn, the places I will visit, and so much more! I love to follow other big bloggers and creative directors because they show a glimpse of what I could be. I could choose to be envious, insecure and jealous of them, but what’s the point in that? It’s much smarter to watch them and learn from them to improve yourself. And besides why would you compare yourself with someone that started way before you did? They also needed years of hard work to get where they are right now!
Which of my tips will help you to empower yourself? Do you have any empowering techniques you were already using? Share it with us below and let’s all learn together!
