Being Empowered

What is it that makes you ‘tick’? What is your passion? What were you made to do?

Coaching others to a place of empowerment—a place where they achieve more than they ever thought possible, a place where they throw caution to the wind and fly outside their comfortable norm—is what I was made to do. And at one point a few years ago, I wondered why it had taken me so long to figure that out. Why did I waste so many years of my career doing things that didn’t ‘fit’ me? Why couldn’t I see my greatest strengths and know how to use them every day? Why didn’t I start working with people in this way much sooner?

Marianne Williamson’s quote answers those questions for me, and if you weren’t able to answer the questions about your own passion, this might just be your answer, too:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”

So maybe deep down we all know what we are SUPPOSED to be doing, but it’s fear that keeps us from diving right in and making it happen. Instead we stick with what’s comfortable, what we’re used to, and essentially what won’t push us to the next level. We have habits of thought that just aren’t working for us.

Changing the Status Quo

Following a 3-R model has been a life-changer for me as I work to live up to my true potential every day and help others do the same:

RECOGNIZE– Successful people are self-aware. They RECOGNIZE their strengths, weaknesses, and triggers, and they understand that in order to make positive, lasting change, they must first know what habits they want and need to change. Keep in mind that success comes in many forms. Career, relationship, financial, academic- these are just some of the areas in which people strive for that pinnacle of success.

REPEAT– To change a habit of thought, a current way of doing or thinking about something, we must replace it with another, better habit of thought. Initially, it takes conscious effort to opt for the new choice. To make long-term, positive change, we must REPEAT that new choice again and again and again until one day…. it becomes an unconscious choice or put more simply, a habit- a habit that provides the kind of positive, lasting change we want and need.

REFLECT– As we recognize what we need to change and we repeat our new habit of thought, we have the opportunity to REFLECT on our new path, our new normal, our new and better way of doing things. How does it feel to have a new and better habit of thought? How can we apply what we now know to our everyday life? And how can we take that new habit of thought to show ourselves and others “we are powerful beyond measure”?

I pose the questions again. What is it that makes you ‘tick’? What is your passion? What were you made to do? And also- how easily can you get there by following the 3 Rs?

Tracy Bianco is President and CEO of Bright Side Training Solutions where she empowers people to be fully engaged in their careers, in personal relationships, and in life as a whole. This article was originally published on LinkedIn Pulse.