Essential Empowerment
The Fine Art of Creating and Living an Empowered Life
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Our lives are like landscapes. Some are vivid and colorful, and others are grey and gloomy. Some have fine lines and lots of detail, others, broad strokes and bold colors.
Let’s work on an exercise. You’ll need some plain paper and colored markers or pencils. Crayons will work, too, if that’s what you can gather. Go ahead….I’ll wait.
Hey, no cheating – remember this is about empowerment, so empower yourself to gather your materials.
Welcome back.
Now, picture yourself an artist. A blank canvas sits on an easel in front of you; in one hand you hold your palette, in the other, brushes. You’ve been commissioned to paint a landscape based on your interpretation of your life as it is at this very moment. Begin …
What did you paint? What colors did you use? What was your backdrop? Is your painting one dimensional, monochromatic and simplistic, or does it have lots of detail? Perhaps it’s an abstract with a variety of colors and textures. Remember, this was an exercise, not a test, so there isn’t any wrong landscape – just your landscape.
Now step back and observe … look very closely at your creation. How do you feel about the landscape of your life? Do you like what you see? On a scale of zero- to-10, what is your level of contentment with your life landscape? If you answered “Love it. Love it. I’m a ten. I’m perfectly content. There isn’t a brush stroke I would change,” you’re all set. Close the book and read a novel or complete a Sudoku puzzle. For the rest of you Cezannes and Monets read on.
What would it take to complete your landscape? Would a few brush strokes here and there make it perfect – a masterpiece? Perhaps you want a touch more color in your life or maybe less. Pay attention here – could you tweak your current canvas to achieve perfection, or would you need a new blank canvas for a fresh start? Either answer is right … it’s your life. Isn’t it nice to know that you have the power to paint the picture you want? You really do, you know. In fact, you painted the picture on the original canvas; you created it for better or worse. The choices and decisions you made brought you to where you are today, and you live them out each day. Whether you’re in a job you hate or a relationship you love or vice versa, you made those choices. If you’ve taken your dream vacation or achieved career status or not, the decisions you made either helped you achieve those goals or held you back. Decisions are the practical expression of choice and you always have choices. It’s all up to you. It’s all about Essential Empowerment.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
For the twenty-five-plus years I have been a speaker, trainer, coach, consultant and mentor, I have had the pleasure of working with people who have achieved tremendous success in their business and their personal lives. In fact, they’re often the same people. This book evolved out of Essential Empowerment Paint Your New Life Canvas Workshops where participants closely examine their immediate life state, then define, refine and articulate their vision for their future. Workshop exercises begin and end with life canvases – personal artful expressions of current being and future being. You’ll see a few of those personal artful expression scattered throughout the book. Those personal canvases and the aggregate exercises, here and in the classroom, are integral parts of the process of personal development. Your first thought will be to put that piece of the book aside until after you’ve read through and evaluated every chapter. Don’t dismiss their value. Some words used to describe canvases have been: insightful, enlightening, cathartic, and even illuminating. Indulge me … no, don’t indulge me. Do it for you. Become a participant in the progress of your life. Embrace your journey to Essential Empowerment.
I hope to see you at an Essential Empowerment Paint Your New Life Canvas Workshop one day. In the meantime … read on and paint your new life canvas!
About the Author
Paulette Meijer has been helping people reach their goals and achieve personal and professional growth since 1985 and she does it with flair. She views life through a creative lens and asks readers to do the same with her latest book. Whether speaking, writing or coaching Paulette is passionate about her message and clear in her approach: “Our willingness to accept change and adopt new concepts is essential for personal progress. Through the initiative of personal empowerment, people adopt a proactive attitude to achieve personal success. ”
Paulette loves life in Niantic, Connecticut surrounded by her husband Paul, beautiful family and her two Yorkshire Terriers, Lily and Ben.