Feeling Empowered: 3 Powerful Practices to Get You Off the Sidelines

If you know anything about team sports, most athletes don’t really care for sitting the bench. 

In fact, they tend to work super hard at practice, honing their skills because they want to be in the game giving it all they have. They want to be an asset on the team. It’s not that sitting on the sidelines is a bad thing. Everyone sits out at times.

However, most athletes try extra hard on and off the field or court so that they can have plenty of playing time.

Life is like a sport for everyone - but not everyone is really playing in the game. 

What about you? 

• Are you sitting on the sidelines watching others live life passionately with purpose, dreams, and goals? 
• Are you allowing your past or negative feelings to hold you back or make you miserable? 
• Have you forfeited your personal power due to situations that have happened?

If so, I encourage you to put all of those things aside and get in the game! 

Learn how to feel empowered, use your personal power, stand up, and say, “Coach, I want in!”  After all, you have so much potential deep inside you to live with a whole lot of passion, purpose, happiness, and contentment. You simply need to recognize and unlock it.

3 Things You Have to Do to Live Life Feeling Empowered

1. Your Thoughts Matter

The first thing you can do is monitor your thought life. 

• What types of thoughts are you thinking most of the time? 
• Are they predominantly negative or positive? 

If you're lacking personal power or sitting on the sidelines of life, chances are your thoughts are one of the culprits. 

Negative Thoughts

See if you resonate with any of the following thoughts:

• Nothing ever goes my way.
• I wish I could be like that person.
• All I do is mess up.
• I am tired of failing.
• I have no motivation to do anything.
• Life is so boring.
• No one ever listens to me.
• I’ll never feel happy.
• There’s no use in trying.
• What do I have to offer?
• Whatever. I’m over it.

If you are having these types of thoughts, it is time to learn how to stop allowing negativity to rule your mindset. You may not realize this, but you can learn to overpower those negative thoughts.

It is time to stand up and use your power to learn how to think positively. As you do, you'll find that your emotions and actions will begin to change for the better. 

Feeling Frustrated and Angry? 4 Tips to Overcome the Negative Emotions

Replace the Negative with the Positive

Replace those negative types of thoughts with these:

• I can be anything I want to be.
• I can do anything I want.
• Life is an opportunity to live out my goals and dreams.
• I can stand up for what I believe in.
• I'm seen and heard.
• I matter.
• What I want matters.
• I am confident and successful.
• Life is for me.
• I have every right to speak my truth.
• I am strong and powerful.
• I’m doing better and better every day.
• I am wise.  

Do you get the idea here?

Do not allow negative thoughts to rule your mind. Retrain your brain to think positive thoughts and you will certainly notice a difference in your perspective and daily actions.

Read this next: Do You Take Things Personally? 5 Mantras to Help You Stop

2. Honor Your Feelings

It’s common for negative thoughts to surface sometimes.

There is an ebb and flow to thoughts and emotions and that’s completely okay!

Know that it’s totally normal to feel such emotions on occasion. If you're feeling angry, honor the feeling, process it, get to the root of it, and then let it go. Has someone has made you feel upset? Do a little digging to see why.

• Is there something in you that was triggered that you should work on healing?
• Or were they simply mean or rude?

If you're feeling frustrated about something, do something to change the situation or your perspective. 

Feelings or emotions are signals that something is not alright within. If you've been in the habit of stuffing your feelings and keeping quiet about what is upsetting you, it is time to make some changes.

When you feel empowered, you know it's alright to gently tell someone if they have offended or hurt you. Simply say,

“I feel angry because you said that to me."

Or, “I feel sad when you don’t do what you say you are going to do.”

3. Recognize When You Need Help

When you’ve done all you know to do to feel empowered, yet still feel like you’re hiding in the corner, it may be time to reach out for professional help. 

10 Resources & Steps to Help You Find a Good Therapist

Taking back your power and walking in it is a process, and it’s not always easy to know how to do it on your own. There’s no shame in reaching out for help. Today, there are many counselors who offer their services online via video or phone. 

Give yourself permission to ask for help and do the work necessary to feel empowered and more emotionally whole.

Feeling Empowered by Life’s Journey

Life can certainly feel like a roller coaster ride at times. Circumstances can sometimes cause us to plunge into what feels like despair. However, we can get back up when we make the effort and try various modes of healing or therapy.

If there’s one thing I’d really like you to know, it’s that you don’t have to do it alone. There are many people who care and will come alongside you to help.

Be encouraged that you can stand up and use your personal power to make some changes in your life.

You can get off the sidelines and give the game of life 100% of your passion.

• Take charge of your thoughts
• Honor your feelings
• Declare that you will embrace your personal power that resides within you

Unlock and unleash all the greatness within you, celebrating each milestone along the journey.

• Do you feel empowered to get started?
• If not, what actions will you take to begin cultivating your inner power?

Editor's note: This article was originally published Oct 20, 2021 and has been updated to enhance reader experience.