Empowerment......that in itself is a powerful word. It can mean many things to different people. It is important to believe strongly in however you define the word AND how it applies to you.
According to Merriam-Websters Dictionary, empowerment is defined as:
1) to give official authority or legal power to
2) enable
3) to promote the self-actualization or influence of
So.....what empowers me?
Helping others empowers me. To be able to give back in ANY way to another living thing is empowering to me. I know that for me to be where I am today, others worked hard to empower me. So, my dream is to then create or continue the chain reaction and empower others. I hope and pray the chain reaction keeps going (almost like a domino effect) and hopefully throughout many lifetimes, long after I'm dead and gone, many, many lives can be changed for the better.
You know what else empowers me.......is doing and achieving things that seemed like a dream or fantasy to me at one point in my life. For example, I ran the New York City marathon. I NEVER in a million years would have thought that I could do this. I had never really ran before until 6 months before the actual day. In my head, there was NO WAY that my body was going to be dragged 26.2 miles around New York. But you know what, IT DID! Now, it wasn't plain sailing by any stretch of the imagination! There were moments throughout my entire run that I wanted to stop and sit on the side of the road. I even contemplated jumping off th 59th Street bridge (approx. halfway through the 26 miles). I wasn't sure that I could do it. Something deep inside me, willed me to just take one more step, and then another......and then another before I was back on track.
I still can't believe I did it. But after I finished it, I told myself that I could do anything that I put my mind to......ANYTHING!
I think half the battle of being empowered is actually BELIEVING that you can achieve what you want to achieve. It is probably the hardest part of the battle. But once you overcome this hurdle, the world is truly your oyster.
My wish is that everyone can be empowered to do and achieve the things they want to.
And as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."
Be EMPOWERED to be all that you dreamed.......and more!
Ms. Sandford AKA Angela,
ReplyDeleteYour energy and zest for empowerment emanates in everything you do. It's such a contagious energy. We were discussion idealism in one of the classes the other day and I thought about the relationship between our capacity to dream (MLK or Gandhi or even Obama) and its materialization into reality. So much of the lack of empowerment is associated with a courage deficit, a certain inability to face our futures fearlessly and with passion. I know that among the many things I'll remember about you... this empowering, enCOURAGing energy will be among them.
I have to say that in some ways i also feel empowered by realizing that i have done some good for another person. It is not only a happy, satisfactory feel, but an energy boost.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of energy i had to use lots of it in a middle school cross country race i ran. It was not 26.2 miles but 2 miles that back then were my 26.2 miles. I was seriously nervous and afraid to make mistakes. I was scared to be the last racer but once i was actually running all those worries were gone. My main focus was to finish the race. I thought about giving up, of just ending it. But i was empowered, empowered by the need for water. To this day i cannot believe that it was the thought of being able to drink one cup of water that allowed me to finish the race. Of course there was that will in me that pushed me and pushes me to this day to persevere. I believe that is one of the few traits i like about myself is my will to keep going even if everything is trying to bring me down.
I enjoyed reading your entry Ms. Sandford. I believe i have just been empowered!
I admire that you wish to continue the chain reaction and empower others. I believe that this is a key to seeing change in the life of young people like myself. My peers often don't have anyone in their life that wants to empower them, and if they do have someone, it is not to empower them in a positive way. I would like to promise that i will also continue the chain just as you and many others have done for me. Because of adults like you i am determined to succeed as a young black man. One thing that i would like you and all the other mentors in my life to know is that i appreciate you and all dat you are doing for me because i know that yu only want the best for me and i thankyou for caring.
ReplyDeletei agree with you ms Angela , BELIEVE is the big key to empowerment. if you don't believe in what you want to achieve ,then you will never see the light of that pathway. also i like the determination that you put in the marathon , that was a big obstacle, but you DID IT no matter what. you are an exemplary person because due to the difficulties you had in your childhood ,now you want to help other people, you are a munificent person who tries to enhance other people lives.Thanks for supporting us in our academics.Thanks to you and ms Young for be there we for us.
ReplyDeletein some ways i feel like i just been empower by your blog.
ReplyDeletethe word BELIEVE is the big key to empowerment. if you don't believe in yourself no one will believe in you.