Being in service to humanity does not mean simply doing for others. It means supporting the self-directed growth of others to enable them to live lives of bliss.
It’s not negating their right or responsibility to make conscious choices, it’s empowering their individual determination of self-care.
It’s not imparting the belief that they are not capable by doing things for them or by sharing our opinions with them, it’s imparting their never-ending self-worth, intrinsic value, self-reliance and self-resilience.
That message came through loud and clear recently. I love it when that shit happens!
My take is that empowering others is an art and a skill. And it’s not one that most of us are particularly good at. (Lol’ing at all my own epic fails in the past!)
Why would we be good at empowering others? Being parents of littles and adult children of aging parents means we simply “do” for others when they can’t do for themselves and we can start to feel pretty comfortable there. But those are intentional roles for us, limited time roles that we need to honour and grow from, not hold on to for ever.
It’s a growth process and our job is to let go. We can give people the space to see the power they hold inside themselves. We can trust their judgement and know that whatever they are experiencing, they will figure out. This is their life, and while we sometimes think we know better, even if they trip and fall, their path belongs to them.
The result for us? We don’t take on everyone else’s energy or issues, and we release any responsibility for the outcomes for anyone except ourselves. By establishing others’ free will, we establish our own.
The result for them? They have the space and the trust to make their own decisions and are able to begin to rely on themselves. That is where their power lives.
Love is always the key here. Our communication is always surrounded by acceptance and love, even if the relationship needs to be limited or ended for a time.
As humans, we need to get out of the muck of day-to-day life long enough to experience a life that is larger, one that recognizes the power we all possess as humans having souls that will guide us. It’s a larger life where each one of us knows ourselves and lives from ourselves.
I don’t always get it right, but I start every day with the intention to empower myself and those I hang with.
