Empowerment
”the process of becoming stronger and more confident”
In the late 1990s I worked as a web designer/software engineer in a busy office environment. I designed an application where every department could easily submit their department’s budget. Once everything was submitted, I could run another application that would compile it all into one final document. I trained the appropriate people how to use it. Everyone understood it and found it easy to use…except for one person…I’ll call them X.
It seemed like every other day I would hear from X complaining that the application wasn’t working…no details…just that “it’s not working”. I would go to their office show, them that it wasn’t the program and would ‘fix it’ by showing them what they needed to do to make that particular task work.
Over time I became more and more frustrated with X. I just wanted them to go away. I started judging them as being less than intelligent. I worked with my therapist to learn how to deal with X. My therapist went so far as to have me visualize physically taking my frustrations out on X. While an interesting approach, it failed to do the trick.
At the time I had also been working with a holistic chiropractor. On one visit he picked up on my frustration and agitation. I told him what was going on and he proceeded to give me one of my top five favorite pieces of advice. Actually, it was a mantra.
He said, any time you feel like you’re the victim (and I felt that way with X), internally recite the mantra: “I choose power”. By power, I knew he meant my internal, sacred power. I akin it to the solar plexus energy center in our bodies. I agreed to try it.
Yet again, X called me to tell me my program wasn’t working. It’s about a five minute walk to X’s office. All the way there, silently to myself, I repeated the mantra: “I choose power. I choose power. I choose power.” It reminded me of the scene in the Maureen O’Hara version of “Miracle on 34th Street” where Natalie Wood’s character keeps repeating “I believe. I believe. I believe”. She says in a skeptical way. In the same way, I repeated the “power” mantra skeptically.
I arrived at X’s office as usual however this time I noticed that I felt calm. I listened to X’s complaint and from this place of calm power, I showed them what they needed to do. The whole time I’m aware of my empowered state. Usually I react to X’s complaints with impatience and agitation. This time I was neutral. I felt like an observer rather than a participant. It was awesome. I headed back to my office thinking: “wow…that really worked!”
Within two weeks, my boss put me on a new project, releasing me from the budget app. I never saw X again. Proving yet again, that when the lesson is learned you move onto the next level.
How about you? Is empowerment a core value for you?
BTW…this is what it looked like before I started…
joyfully,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
inspiring and encouraging creativity, curiosity, and play through the art of mandalas
About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day
Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.
Mandala of the Day 