Self-Advocacy Tools!

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me. Maya Angelou, poet

“So, therapy is about empowerment!”

It has been said that all therapy is simply a process of assisting the clients to recover the power they felt, and believed they had, at their birth.   So, therapy is about empowerment. Therapy is about uncovering something you already had, and still have, out of your awareness.

This brings me to the most common question I have received, in one form or another, over the past 36 years from clients of all ages, education levels, occupations and belief systems, “How do I get back control of my life?” which is another way of saying, “How do I empower myself again?”

Self-empowerment is about learning to believe about yourself, what you believed at your birth!

Self-empowerment is about proving to yourself you are perfect, just the way you are!   Self-empowerment is about reminding yourself you are part of a natural, universal system of laws, over 14 billions years old, which is self sustaining!

Self-empowerment is learning you are designed ideally for your survival and evolution, within the limits of your biology, as a living organism!

Self-empowerment is not just about lifelong learning, it is also, and equally, about life long self-advocacy!

“With fame comes opportunity, …it also includes responsibility – to advocate and share, to focus less on glass slippers and more on pushing through glass ceilings…”
Meghan Markle, actress

So, when I saw Adam Galinsky’s TED talk on, “How to speak up for yourself!”  I gave it a look.  Adam Galinsky teaches people all over the world how to inspire others, speak up effectively, lead teams and negotiate successfully.  He is currently the chair of the management division at Columbia Business School. He is an author, researcher, educator, producer, consultant, and most recently, a new parent.

Adam’s best-selling book, Friend & Foe, distills two decades of research on leadership, negotiations, diversity, decision-making and ethics. He has received numerous national and international awards for his teaching and research.  Adam is also the associate producer on four award-winning documentaries, including Horns and Halos and Battle for Brooklyn, which were both short-listed for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards.

What struck me about his presentation was the simple, practical tools he offers his audience to use to empower themselves.  Check them out. Let me know what you think and notice the hints of symmetry and synchronicity in his work.

“Self-advocacy is a required life skill for each of us!“ – King Ayles, author