Empowerment. Self-empowerment to be Exact

When I teach about private practice, I always begin with the Dream. Get clear on what your dream reality is and it must include personal time. That is really important. I like to engage people in a guided meditation about their dream work-life day. 

This does two things. First, it helps clarify the WHAT you want your workday and off time to look like. Second, it helps to clarify WHY you are doing this in the first place. What is your motivation to go out on your own really about? Maybe it is to spend more time with family and work less. Maybe it is to serve a specific niche population in a very unique way. 

In addition to gaining clarity, any residual limiting beliefs usually start to pop up in response. They might sound like:

• Will I be able to afford healthcare?
• Will I be able to save for retirement?
• Can I even do this?
• I don't know how to run a business. I am just a therapist. 
• Who is going to pay me $100 an hour? Are my services even worth that?
• I don't know how to get started. 

And on and on. Some people call it the Imposter voice. It's the belief that despite having all this education, training, and experience and one doesn't believe themselves to be capable. 

When it comes up, it is super important for us to name it and call it out for what it is - a LIE! A limiting belief that was more than likely projected upon us by someone else at some point in our life. Once we point it out, it is high time we kick it out. It can't pay enough rent to take up residence within our mind any longer. The faster it is evicted, the faster things will begin to happen. Why? Because that limiting voice creates RESISTANCE around any action we may want or need to take to bring our vision to life. As therapists, we all know the role of resistance -- to keep us safe (and playing small). 

After it has been given the boot, that is when we can begin to take back our POWER. Root down into our authentic knowing about what we are setting out to accomplish and become. That power, creates energy to take action and get going on executing our vision. 

I have 2 limiting voices in my head - The Judge & The Boss. The judge, well, that one is pretty self-explanatory. It basically critiques everything and holds me back from execution. The Boss on the other hand, tells me to keep going - keep working - instead of holding me back, it has me overdoing. It has taken me years to soften and quiet these voices. Both of them work in harmony to emphasize the fear of not being enough. Had I listened to the Judge, I never would have taken the risks that I have. Had I not learned to silence the Boss, I would be burned out in another profession. 

What I have found helpful is naming it. Once it is named, I recognize that it is not my true self speaking. I then reinforce positive aspects of all that I have accomplished in my life. The successes I have achieved in spite of fear. And the belief that those things are repeatable. 

The other thing that I do that has major impact - lots of meditations. I try to meditate first thing in the morning (I don't always do it) and I meditate every evening at the hour of sleep. Sometimes I will listen to them while I go walking. I listen to a lot of guided meditations that integrate positive affirmations. It took months of doing this consistently, but now I wake up in the AM and affirming compassionate thoughts are the first ones that I experience. To wake up thinking positively and feeling positive - ready to seize the day. That, to me, is an empowered state.