The REAL Secret to the Empowered Life!

Many eons ago, in times now long forgotten, a much-revered Goddess sat and contemplated her world.  Like you, she had fought many battles, won and lost a few wars, been stung by the disappointment and hurt of rejection and uplifted by love.   Her heart had been broken open by loss more than once and thrilled more than once to regenerative feelings of new beginnings.  She, like you, had become wise.

From the peaks of the Himalayas to the bottom of Neptune’s kingdom she had traveled; each journey another opportunity to understand what really mattered; to find the truths wherever they were hidden, that would reveal the secret to the empowered life.  Thirty years she traveled.  Perhaps many of you have traveled as long.  Thirty years of searching, questioning and experiencing all the universe had to offer.

The wisdom she ultimately discovered could never be used by unscrupulous people to enslave others.  It could not be misused to start a new system of beliefs that restricted anyone’s free expression of their own inner knowing.  And most importantly this wisdom could not be used by those who sought to profit from it at another’s expense.  No, this wisdom was available to everyone and always worked to empower the person who used it.

This secret wisdom sets each person free to create the life of her own design.  The Goddess had discovered that all she had to remember were four little words:

“Choose, and choose again.”

You may not realize it but you are constantly choosing the life you see around you.  Whatever you don’t like remains not because you truly want it, but rather because you choose not to act to shift things in the direction you would prefer.

Not choosing is choosing. 

In fact it is one of the most powerful forms of choosing because the effects are immediate and often go unrecognized.  Not choosing keeps you stuck where you are in life – imprisoned by your own acquiescence to the status quo.

 Every choice matters because every choice sets in motion a flow of energy that brings results.  And there is no “perfect” choice in any one situation.  Not choosing out of fear of making a “mistake” is one reason you might decide to postpone choices.  Yet the postponement or procrastination is a choice – one that stops you from moving forward in your life.

Even the smallest choices matter from how you choose to begin your day, to the food you eat, the company you keep, the words you speak and the actions you take.  Every thought, emotion or action is another opportunity for conscious or unconscious choice-making.

You may not be able to choose to give yourself a ten percent salary raise but you can choose how you approach your work.  You can choose your attitude, your behavior and your communication.  You can ask for what you need.  You may not get it but the choice of asking is still important because it keeps you moving forward – choosing with conscious intent is always empowering.  And the more you practice conscious choice the more empowered you become in every area of life.

Choice moves you out of victimization and into self-actualization. 

You do not choose to have hurtful things happen to you.  They happen to everyone.  It is in how you respond to events, whether injurious or beneficial, that exhibits your power of choice and the resiliency that choice provides.  And that is the essence of the Goddess’ secret – that choice and exercising your power of choice in all its forms is about freedom – personal and societal.

When we talk about the goddesses of old or the principles of the Divine Feminine, emphasis tends to be on the “acceptable” traits of beauty, compassion, justice and good will.  Yet the archetypes of old embraced a much more complex view of feminine power.  Along with the light came the darkness and each was valued equally.

In order to be fully in your light, you have to have traveled the path of the alchemist – you have to have met your shadow, embraced your weaknesses and conquered your fears.  And, you have to find a way to love and accept all that you are in order to be truly empowered to create the life you want.

You have to “choose . . .  and choose again.

No matter what age, you grew up within a context of “rules for women.”  These “rules” often reinforced in families, schools, churches and the media can disempower.  As you identify some of the oft-hidden “rules” that have flowed underneath your life, you might also realize that those beliefs about who you are and how your life should be have only as much power over you as you allow.  Once you become aware of the rules you’ve lived by, you can assess their value in the present and make the changes you want.

I’m asking you to write your own rules, ones that call forth the highest and best of who you truly are.

Like most women, you rightfully want to have it all.  And like most women, you may have mistaken that option to have it all with trying to do it all and do it all at the same time.  The ability to have it all is an exercise of the fundamental core power of choice.  The empowered woman uses that power of choice to align with what she wants most and lets the rest go.  She knows that trying to do it all leads to a schedule overflowing with appointments and tasks that disconnect her from her true needs, values, desires and goals.

 So, on to a new model of the empowered life! 

As you make conscious choices you will find that life shifts around you.  Relationships especially will change.  Every new choice you make will bring ripple effects throughout your world.  Some will feel more like waves and not all will be easy, but even waves have ebb and flow and things have a way of coming back into balance.

Take some time and sit with a journal and see what you discover when you ask yourself:

• What do I need and want in my work?
• What do I need and want in my relationships?
• How do I want to express my creativity?
• What do I need and want for my health and well-being?
• What do I need and want through my connection to spirit?

Each of these areas – Work, Health, Relationships, Creativity and Spiritual Connection – is a high-value and necessary part of who you are and each needs expression in your life in order for you to feel whole and happy.  Each feeds you – body, heart, mind and soul.

The incredible power of choice lies within you, and it is choice that gives you the opportunity to create the empowered life, one that is a true reflection of the many aspects of who you are.   Now that you’ve taken the time to discover what you truly need and want to create the rich and fulfilling life you deserve, there is only one thing left to do:

Choose, and choose again.