This month I was asked to consider the topic of 'Empowerment' on the back of the sensational Paralympics, and write an article accordingly...and that was a lot easier said than done!

Usually I have a lot to say on issues and buzz words surrounding modern culture, and as a woman with numerous health conditions, empowerment is certainly a word I bat around quite a bit - BUT, did I really understand the depth of that word? Or, has the word lost all clout in the slew of legal and political jargon? My mission suddenly shifted from writing an article about empowerment to understanding what empowerment meant to me. It was a quandary for sure!

I could write a commentary on the super talented athletes that have brought great coverage and hope to millions of people with disabling conditions. And I could describe how that empowers us mere mortals, who struggle to get out of bed in the morning, to see that how absolutely nothing can hold us back from overcoming our physical limitations and achieving anything we want. Of course, all these things are absolutely true, and I would never take away from the immense positivity that the Paralympics brings, but that really didn't satisfy my want to understand the depth or the meaning of empowerment.

So back to the drawing board I went...

I began to think back over the times in my life that I would call 'the dark days' and to ponder over the of things that helped me get out of those hopeless tunnels of nothingness - the things that empowered me.

The athletes involved in the Paralympics have to get up every singe day and train to the point of exhaustion just to be the very best versions of themselves. However, I also believe that those of us with illness and/or disability face those same daily battles too. Now, I am not comparing my lifestyle to that of a Paralympian sprinter, not least because I run like Phoebe Buffet, but by the fact that I simply loathe running in any shape or form...in fact I pretty much hate most sports. I am a self confessed potato, and I quite enjoy it! I can easily say that watching these amazingly talented folks tear up the tracks, or vault the high beams, and contort like something otherworldly, often only ever leaves me feeling a bit crappy about myself. Even on my best of days - when my body and brain are playing ball - I know I'd could never be as cool as a Paralympian. So, how else can I be empowered like the way these guys are?

The Oxford Online Dictionary defines the verb 'empower' as; 'Give (someone) the authority or power to do something.' Or, 'Make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.'

Hm, well this sounded more promising in my hunt for the meaning of Empowerment. Using powerful words like 'authority' and 'stronger' really made me think of these Paralympian warriors. Yes, these athletes really took authority over their lives and situations, and they made their bodies bend to their will so they became the strongest they could possibly be against the odds. So, applying those words to myself, I began to consider what made me strong, or what made me authoritative in my life? In essence what made me a warrior too?

The answer, of course, was personal to me and my walk. Things like my mother's absolute love and patience was what gave me strength. My faith and my words gave me authority over my mind and freed me from the painful physical restrictions of my body. So I wasn't lifting weights or working myself into a sweat everyday, in the physical sense, but I was challenging and pushing myself in my own way by the things that drove me to take control and claim back my identity. I was empowered to achieve victory over my limitations by the simple encouraging words of a friend, or the ability to write a story that could make someone smile, or by meditating on my spirituality and being fulfilled by something deeper than just what my body could or could not do.

I think we are all capable of playing a part in our own empowerment and the empowerment of others in very simply ways. The Paralympian's can inspire all of us by their commitment to achieve above and beyond what society thought they could. But we don't need to go to those extremes to achieve the same ideal. I have found that those small daily doses of positivity, affirmation, and encouragement to ourselves and those around us, is what builds up the movement of empowerment in our lives. Empowerment should be dynamic, a force to propel us, the kick up the rear to get us up off the ground and find a way out of our own dark tunnels.

So, I encourage you - nay, I empower you - to remember the positive things about yourself, to acknowledge that you are a warrior fighting a silent battle every single day, and you are doing a damn good job too! Being the best version of yourself takes time, dedication, hard work, and often a lot of tears, but the journey to your gold medal moment is the definition of empowerment to YOU.

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