Have you discovered the POWERinU?
What do I mean by POWERinU? The POWERinU refers to your gifts, strengths, innate values, talents.
All of us were born with them, and we can continuously develop them.
First questions first – have you discovered all your powers? I’m not talking about superpowers like wonder woman’s or superman’s.
Case in point – my story. When I was in school, I knew I liked the idea of developing human potentials and skills; of learning, going beyond and pushing self to something bigger.
I was born to a family of teachers. Both my father and mother were teachers. My grandmother and auntie were teachers.
Yet I wasn’t quite sure what that really meant for me. I didn’t really discover training, mentoring and coaching as a vocation and profession until I was in my late 30s.
I took up a degree in Applied economics then MBA, worked in B2B sales, and then eventually got into regional business and general management. I was happy but I burned out fast and became very stressed that it manifested in all aspects of my life including my health.
It took me years to discover what I really wanted, and what work made me really happy, sustainably happy. Happy to the point of having 4-hour sleep nights for 1 week to develop a course, or to prepare for a training program delivery, and still feel excited about the day and week. It didn’t feel tiring, in fact, it was energizing for me. I’ve been doing this for 12 years now.
How did I discover and continue to discover my powers from within?
I’ll share 3 key points for now for your consideration.
First, I realized early on that it’s a journey that can take weeks, months or years, not an overnight one. So be patient with yourself during the discovery journey. When you happily permit yourself to expand the time horizon to discover, the journey becomes more enjoyable.
Second, be clear about the destination. Mission and vision are big and sometimes vague words. So think in terms of “how do I see myself in 2 years? 5/7/10years?” What am I doing from the time I wake up until the time I sleep? Where am I living or working? Who am I with? Visualize the sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. “A joyful day in the life of…” That’s your vision! How you get there is your mission.
Third, as in any journey, prepare for it. Get the travel visa and tickets needed, and be ready to pay for them. Payment not necessarily in financial terms but in terms of personal sacrifices, time investment and other intangible costs. In my case – despite my sales and management career success, I went back to school again and got myself certified as trainer, assessor, consultant and coach. It’s challenging, humbling, mind-expanding and enjoyable – all at the same time!
In the next Empower Bites, I’ll share how to “Develop the POWERinU”. Meantime, try that visualisation exercise! Have an empowered week ahead!
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You may also view in YouTube the EMPOWER Bites 1: Discover the POWERinU and the entire playlist “EMPOWER Bites“.
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