There is great significance to the title above. When you stand in your truth, with 100% authenticity, you give power to who you are. You will have the authority and commitment to claim it. Words of affirmation brought into your own personal life is key.

Going back to my [not-so-long ago] childhood memories, I can remember being an extremely shy and timid girl who did not have the courage or strength to express myself fully around others. Many times, I ended up in total frustration, hurt and anger as people continued to make assumptions about me.

There was a constant struggle to find my voice. To top it off, I became a people-pleaser-never wanting anyone to feel angry, upset or uncomfortable around me. This kind of behavior didn’t serve me well as I continued to struggle with issues of self-esteem and self-worthiness. This transferred into my educational, professional, and personal body image experiences as well. I eventually got to a point in which I would question myself…Was I was even good enough to accomplish/complete this?

The reality is, there is no magic bullet to cure all of our life’s challenges. Each and every one of us has a CHOICE to decide who we are, what we want to do, and who we want to become. The ultimate power is within ourselves. We can choose to have courage, and most of all we can choose to love.

I am able to overcome such adversity today while motivating and inspiring others because I choose not to let my previous or current circumstances define me as a person. As you are experiencing life…how are you embracing it? Are you viewing it as an opportunity to learn and grow from? Or are you constantly wallowing in distress and misery, victimizing yourself as it has always been easier to avoid then take any particular action?

The idea is not to strive to become someone else, but to improve upon and become and even BETTER version of who you already are. I hold to my affirmation of who I am, and that is: “I am a powerful, trusting and joyous leader.” What strong words of affirmations will you make for yourself today?