The whole point of personal-transformation is to reach for the ‘jewel within’. Empowerment is the jewel. A place of true freedom, where the mind is no longer shackled by doubt, fear, shame, anger and regrets and truly cherishes itself. Empowerment is a proper and just reward for those who have had the courage and the honesty to look deep within. The empowered state recognises that negative thoughts simply sap one’s energy, strength and sense of perspective. The empowered person is like the flowering plant searching for the light of the sun, intuitively knowing that this is the source of its enrichment. In other words, s/he looks only to the ‘light’ of quiet reflection, positive thinking and meaningful relationships because it is from here that the individual finds further learning, the opportunity for growth and happiness.
The N.O.S.E. concept helps clarify, for those seeking sustainable solutions, a way forward that is clear, simple and concise. There are now so many models, methods and strategies showing the way to the ‘promised land’. The problem is that the current plethora of information is leaving the masses often more confused about what to do and how to find their way out of the maze. N.O.S.E. simply states ‘to be free of what ails you, you first need to name ‘it’’. How can you heal what you don’t recognise or understand, or even realise is there? Once named, you need to own ‘it’, then you can unshackle yourself from whatever ‘it’ is by taking responsibility for ‘it’. Whilst caught up in a culture of blame and victimhood, one can never find the solution.
Having embraced your stuff, the endeavour of surrender then becomes a real proposition. How can you let go of pain, anxiety and fear when you don’t even realise how you are contributing to these negative patterns? Surrender sets you free. It is at this point that those dams that have been blocking the pathways in your mind begin to disintegrate. It starts with a trickle of water finding its way through the cracks and as that water gathers momentum, its force widens those cracks, destabilizing the dam and reaching the point where its structural integrity is compromised. What begins as a trickle eventually completely demolishes the dam! In the same way, the moment the person begins naming their stuff, the first cracks appear in those blockages within the mind and by the time they are surrendering (actually letting go of their personal limitations) the energy of the self can once again flow freely.
The above analogy is a very powerful way of visually relating to the journey you are actually taking. It helps you to understand that empowerment is not something you create, it is something that is always there, all you’re really doing is creating the conditions to enable you to access it and then express it. We are all empowered beings and our dysfunctions exist because of the experiences we have collected along the way. Some of our experiences are affirming, liberating and uplifting, whilst others shut the door on our potential, confuse us about our purpose and keep us enslaved to ideas and illusions that do not mirror what’s in our hearts.
Empowerment is the point where one is no longer living a life of apology. It is where the energy, enthusiasm and joy for life is abundantly visible and is constantly seeking a means of positive expression. To live in such a place is to live in a consciousness of creativity, contentment and joy and it is our invitation to you to truly name your stuff, embrace it and then let it go. Once done, being true to yourself will be your primary objective in life and encouraging others to do the same. Don’t think this is a journey that others are qualified and better equipped to make than you. This is a journey that anyone who has the courage and the honesty to look into their own abyss can take. Empowerment doesn’t belong to someone else. It belongs to you. So why not claim it today!
Also see: The 4 Stages of Personal Growth and Living With Ambivalence