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I put my heart and soul into my camps and classes. This is not just a job for me, it’s a calling. I’m always looking for “answers.’ I read tons of books and take courses, but there’s this sense in me that I really haven’t found what I’m looking for. The girls get involved in incredibly complicated scenario’s. Many of which there is no clear answer. Parenting is the same way right? Here’s some examples:
When I am stuck in my ego perspective, I want to be able to come up with some amazing solution that will fix these problems. I would love to be able to wave a magic wand and make it all better. However, I believe the best answers come from within, from this inner knowing we each have inside us. It takes practice to access and hear it. Each situation is unique and different feelings are involved. I can’t possibly know everything involved in the situation and there’s no “right” answer I can give them. How many times have you looked for the ‘right’ answer to solve a situation in your life or your children’s? I was listening to my favorite podcast by Christine Hassler, Over it and On With it, when she talked about Empowerment comes from within. We feel most empowered when we get to our own answers rather than someone telling us. Typical female behavior is to ask other friends for help. This can be helpful but also can invite negative judgement of the person being talked about. It’s fine to talk with others about the situation, but I’m saying the final decision on what to do should come from the individual, not from others. Parents too! I’m certainly guilty of telling my daughter what to do in a particular situation, and it backfired! My goal is to help young women find their inner voice and wisdom so they can express themselves authentically. It’s not about me fixing them. They are not broken but also there isn’t anything I can do or say that will solve their problem. I am there to facilitate potential insight. Do you like receiving advice and then do you go do it? I do not like being given advice. I do like encouragement and I like it when people ask me questions. However this doesn’t happen very often and thus this is what I do in my classes. This summer, when I started camp, I felt like I had a certain expectation of what empowerment “should” look like- standing up for yourself, knowing your needs and wants, etc. At the end of each week, when the girls were sharing, I found that empowerment came from the girls being vulnerable, connecting with each other and knowing they were not alone in their feelings. They were able to find their own answers. Together we had created a safe place for people to express themselves and the girls were so supportive of each other. I expanded my concept of what empowerment looked like. Just like my tagline says, empowerment through connection. So true! Zen Y’all, Registration is open for the following classes: Rieke Elementary
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What does empowerment mean?
