The first time I felt the sense of empowerment was during my childhood days when I accompanied my parents to a faraway community, for their humanitarian work. One of the activities they engaged in was providing the community members with the resources needed to achieve their full potentials and participate in society.
Smiles, tears of joy and light enveloped their faces because they felt empowered. That childhood memory still resonates with me and every day, I yearn to re-live that day through serving humanity.
Through years of self-reflection, I have discovered that I feel free from self-doubt and insecurity by empowering others. By empowering others, I easily gain perspective of my personal struggles and weaknesses. My strength emanates from the positive impact I have on others because it reinforces my self-worth and value.
Before I launched my first mentorship project, Girls Community for Change, which aims at improving the physical, social, emotional and financial well-being of girls and young women through education and skill acquisition, I experienced chronic self-doubt due to fear of the unknown. But, as I hosted my first mentorship programme, girls and women were able to share their stories, challenges, and the ways they overcame them, and how my project was meaningful to them. This gave me the courage and self-confidence I needed in my advocacy journey.
One of my tips for self-empowerment is practicing solitude. Solitude is a state of seclusion in order to focus on one’s thoughts, feelings and personal development. During solitude, I engage in various activities like journaling, reading, setting realistic goals, among others.
I thrive to empower myself everyday because as it is often said, you cannot pour from an empty cup. You must fill your own cup first, before you can pour out to others. Therefore, self-empowerment radiates empowerment into the world.
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