My Top Three Suggestions for Taking Charge.
When faced with the question of what it means to me to “take charge”, I keep coming back to the feeling of taking back my personal power. I remember last year when I quit my 9–5 to start my own business, I described it as taking back my power. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny. I was tired of having someone in a corporate office decide that I was right for this role or that role. Or decide that I already made enough money and didn’t deserve more. Or even decide if my shoes are appropriate or not. I wanted to decide those things for myself. I wanted to feel like I was the master of my own destiny and not just a puppet on a string, forced into a role I didn’t want to play.
But in all honesty, that one step was not the actual step of taking charge and taking back my personal power. I actually started taking charge of my own life years before this. The steps I took were all leading to the final culmination of me being in charge of my own destiny. For someone who wants to take charge of their life there are a few things that I recommend.
1. Look for ways to embrace personal growth.
Find a book, or a class or even a group coaching program that will help you learn and grow as a person. There is no denying that taking steps to better yourself will help you feel more in control and in charge of your own life. This personal growth should involve something that resonates with you and when you think about it, there is a yearning for change around the subject.
2. Be open to change.
Even if it is in small ways, foster feelings of openness to change. The change can be within yourself, in your environment or on your person. Being open to change, allows for space in your life. Space also gives you the feeling of room to be in charge and freedom to have options and make choices. How do you really open yourself up to change? I think the best way is to take action. Do something. Even just be willing to consider the possibility of doing things differently than you always have.
3. Do something you’ve never done before.
Take a belly dancing class. Go zip lining. Do something that you’ve thought about, but just never took the leap. This is getting outside of yourself and gets you out of the rut of the same exercise routine or the same hobbies. It allows you to make a decision and feel like you are in charge of your destiny. This one should be something that is a tad bit scary or uncomfortable for you. When you actually decide to do something like this, and then follow through, you gain a feeling of confidence and power.
Once I started taking action steps like these on a regular basis, I found that I felt much more in charge of my own destiny. They were the little steps that led me to the big step of quitting my 9–5 and stepping out on faith knowing that I have what it takes to take charge of my life and have the power over my own destiny that I longed for.
I’d love to hear from you! Have you tried anything like this? What has helped you “take charge” of your own life?
Sherry Parks is a Rediscovery Coach who helps women rediscover themselves and reconnect to the core of who they are.
To contact Sherry for more information about coaching join her women only Facebook group Lives in Balance.
Originally published at medium.com