How To Empower Women - Part 3

Empowerment is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling your life and claiming your rights. 

As we continue our series 'How To Empower Women', we want you to engage in this relevant topic and share your thoughts with us, as well.

In this series we will look at Accountability, Acknowledgment, and Affirmation.

Acknowledge (Acknowledgment is empowering)

At some point and time we all want to be acknowledged for the things we do or have done, in particularly, for ourselves and others. 

Here are a couple of examples to muse as we talk about acknowledgment. Have you ever walked in a room and someone ignored you? How did you feel or have you ever paid for an item in a store, and the cashier took your money without actually looking you in the face, and how did that feel?

As we relate to the examples, we can easily see that acknowledgment is missing, and without it, it can wreak havoc on our emotional state. 

Acknowledgment is necessary to build self-esteem and self-value. By acknowledging someone you are saying—you count, I see you, and I value you. On the other hand, if you fail to acknowledge someone, you are discounting them or devaluing them.

As stated above, acknowledgment is necessary and empowering, and it has been a part of our lives since childhood.

Accountability (Accountability is empowering)

Accountability is taking ownership of situations that you are involved in, such as, being willing to answer...for the outcomes resulting from your choices, behaviors, and actions—including the actions of others you are responsible for.

So why is accountability empowering? It allows you to operate in a leadership capacity. It affords you the opportunity to make decisions and to stand by the choices you've made—right or wrong, good or bad.

Affirmation (Affirmation is empowering)

Affirmation is simply providing emotional support and/or encouragement. 

Here are 3 Ways to Affirm and Empower:

1. Practice spontaneous praise. Don't save up your kind words for a special occasion. 
2. Give encouragement. We all need a little encouragement now and then, and times that test us are often when we need affirming the most.
3. Notice the actions and work of others, no matter how small.

Affirming is empowering because it builds us up. It reminds us of our capabilities, our strengths, our gifts, our talents, and our skills.

Think of someone you can empower by affirming them. Who will it be? Let's not stop there, let's do it.