3 Ways to Exercise Your Power to Choose

I talk a lot about not giving up your power. This is a result of noticing how often women unconsciously surrender their power to other people.

In the many conversations I have had with women, I’ve found that believing they have no choice is the main way women give up their power.

Yet your power to choose is the single greatest gift that has been given to you. It is your ability to make a choice that empowers you to create the life you really desire.

Today, I’m sharing 3 ways you can exercise your power to choose and shift how you experience life on a daily basis.

Choose joy

Joy is a choice. I learned the power of that lesson from a woman I never met in real life but who inspired me every day with how she chose to live. Sick with an autoimmune disease that left her homebound and in chronic pain, Sara Frankl had every reason to focus on the unfairness of life.

Yet in the midst of enduring intense pain, Sara chose joy. Rather than focus on what she wished was different about life, Sara learned to be with what is and found joy. She chose joy while dealing with hard things and her life was richer for it.

This past week, I have had a chance to practice choosing joy in the midst of grieving the loss of my grandfather. I’ve been able to hold joy alongside my sorrow. It has not been easy but I realize I honor his memory when I choose joy because he was a man who loved life.

I don’t suggest choosing joy will be easy. However, I do know that choosing to hold joy alongside the hard will be worth it.

Choose change

I can’t count the number of women I speak to who say they want something to be different yet they keep choosing to do what they’ve always done.

Change is hard. I get it. But believing you can’t change is usually more about fear than it is about anything else. Fear of how people might respond. Fear of what could go wrong. You may also fear failing miserably.

Having walked through my fair share of change in the last few years, I understand those fears. But what I have learned is recognizing the fear that is present can actually help you make the choice to change.

Acknowledging fear out loud robs it of its power. Anticipating the fear will keep it from catching you off guard when it shows up, allowing you to keep moving forward.

Choosing to change will, no doubt, require some adjustments. There will be things you cannot predict and therefore, cannot control. For the recovering control freaks in the room (raises both hands), this is part of what makes change so hard.

But learning to let go of the need to control opens up space for more magic to show up in your life. Exercise your power to choose change and watch what happens 

Choose yourself

On the surface, this sounds selfish. Taking care of others and emptying yourself for the sake of everyone else is your highest priority as a woman. You should be the last thing that you think about. At least that is the message that most women have bought into.

But what I know to be true is you cannot serve those around you well if you are exhausted or worn out. Again, I am not saying taking time for yourself will be easy to do.

What I am saying is making time for you will position you to better care for your family and friends. You’ll be able to give to them out of an overflow within you. Plus you’ll avoid the anger and resentment that comes from dredging the bottom of your energy barrel.

I invite you today to begin practicing ways to exercise your power to choose. It doesn’t have to be in big, grandiose gestures. It can be in small, intangible ways like simply remembering you always have the power to make a different choice.

Here’s to you rising into your greatness.

From my heart to yours,

P.S: If you recognize that you have been giving up your power and you’re ready to reclaim it, then let’s talk. Schedule a complimentary Greatness Activation Call with me today where we can explore how you can take back your power.