Are You Empowered?

Empowerment is a buzzword these days. But what is it really? In our acronym SMORE, Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Empowered, the last word is empowered. Empowerment deals with taking control of life circumstances, exercising power to achieve goals, and the process by which you are able to help yourself and others to maximize the quality of their lives.

Lots of life leads up to empowerment. There are numerous suggestions on the Internet. For example, “A Master Plan for Taking Back Control of Your Life.” I especially like Forbes’ “Six Ways to Take Back Control of Your Life.” Of course you must follow through for any of these to work. That is where exercising power to achieve your goals comes in.

Setting goals is easy, achieving them not so much. Why? Because we often don’t have a plan for how we will do it. In a post by James Clear presents a simple approach to accomplishing your goals in his post, “How to Achieve Your Goals, This Simple Trick Makes Progress Easy.” I’m a big believer in scheduling your time. When I quit teaching I had trouble managing my time and accomplishing my goals. This went on for a long time. Finally I realized that I needed to do something about this. I knew it was up to me. I began by scheduling Mondays as a day for staying home and regrouping after the weekend. I didn’t make appointments on Monday. I ran weekly errands on Tuesdays. Later I developed a morning routine to cope with my fibromyalgia. As time went on I was able to use all of my time more wisely.

Last year I completed a book and it was published. Living Learning Loving, Insights and Encouragement on the Path of Motherhood, shares several of my personal experiences. Two years ago I became certified as a life coach with Fowler International Academy. I’ve been able to commit my time to others as a Life Coach—one of the joys of my life.

None of this came easy. These three: setting goals, scheduling time, and exercising power have helped. I am happy to have a Spiritual Director who always gives me clarity. I read a lot. I meditate and I pray.

My hope for you is that you will be an empowered woman.

You may help us as we make a difference in southeast Texas. Go to SMORE to donate.

Gail holds a degree from Lamar University in Speech and a Master’s from the University of Texas. She was an educator in regular and special education for twenty years, finishing her professional career as a Braille teacher. She is a Certified Professional Coach with Fowler International Academy.

She married Sam after raising three children as a single mother.

In 2007 She founded SMORE for Women. SMORE is a nonprofit association whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, & Empowered. Her stories have been published in several Christian books and magazines. Her book, Living Learning Loving, published in July 2015, is available for purchase on Amazon