For the longest time I hated the word “empowerment.” I took it to mean, sorry Paul you are out of luck, you got to fend for yourself. I felt it was totally unfair. I needed people to do things for me. I didn’t see that part of adult life is growing up, being mature, and as much as possible, doing things by myself.
Empowerment is a natural part of human development. In my life empowerment grew little bit at a time, inch by inch, but it did happen. Having the caring support of friends helped out a great deal. I began to see I can take pride on what I accomplish, and this boosted my self-esteem and confidence.
People respected me more and this made me feel good. Also, as I accomplished, I began to see more opportunities that I could take on. My quality of life improved. Now, I see empowerment in a much different light and I am very excited about it.