Finding Your Power

As we go through life, we come across many events. Some of these make us feel great, while others can leave us feeling powerless. Your current situation may make you feel like you have no control over your life, or that bad things always seem to happen to you, but wellbeing coach, nutritionist and personal trainer Cee Fee Dunn tells us there are ways you can find power in seemingly powerless situations. Here are her top tips for taking control and finding that power.

1. Stop complaining!

Have you ever noticed how addictive complaining is? A little moan every now and then can make you feel a bit better, but constant complaining is negative, compulsive and it gives energy and life to the people, places and situations that leave you dissatisfied and unhappy. Complaining is indulgent and also serves to justify your perceived lack of power in creating change. STOP. If something bad has happened to you, it's ok to acknowledge that. But you do have the power to take what's happened and make something from it - it’s just about tapping into that power, and maybe looking at things slightly differently.

2 Ask yourself what it is you want

Seriously. What is it you that you want? What would need to happen right now for you to feel better about your situation? Getting what you want is typically very simple. Simple, yes, but not easy. Why? Because change is so uncomfortable. It’s easy to sit back and complain about your lot and resign yourself to the situation, while change requires effort and bravery. But with effort comes reward. You CAN do it!

3. Focus on what you CAN change

After taking stock of what exactly is happening in your situation – what the facts are, what’s in your control, and what you cannot control - focus on what you CAN change regardless of how big or small, helpful or useless you believe it will be. Big changes (i.e. getting those things that you want that you just identified above) come from small steps, so stop worrying about what you currently can’t change, and focus on what you can. Even if it’s something small, persevere until you’ve made that change, and from that there will likely be something else you can change. And again. And again. This will empower you further and further and before you know you’ll be achieving more than you thought possible.

4. Make a decision

Now that you've established what's possible to change, get on and do it. Decide to do something about what you can change and action it. Make a list and tick each of the little things off as you go. If you simply sit and berate your situation, the situation will stay exactly as it is. There may be 1000 different things you want, and a further 1000 actions you could take. Pick one and do it, and see what happens. Then pick another - it can be as small as you like. But keep going.

5. Celebrate your achievements

Never down play your accomplishments, ever. No matter how big or how small, a success is a success, and celebration of those successes breed wonderful feelings. In turn comes the desire to create more of those good feelings. Then, behold… momentum!

Get more from Cee Fee Dunn on her Instagram, Twitter and website.