Knowledge Is Empowerment

We’ve all heard the saying that “knowledge is power.” Since this week’s topic is lifelong learning, I’d like to modify that saying slightly and put a Courage to Caregivers spin on it – knowledge is empowerment.
 
Lifelong learning is the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional reasons. By definition, it’s a continuous process that we pursue throughout our lives. Increasing our knowledge brings many benefits in the areas of personal development, self-sustainability, competitiveness, employability, and more. 
 
That fits right in with what we’re all about at Courage to Caregivers – “education, support, and empowerment.” Education, or learning, leads to empowerment. Self-empowerment helps you take control of your own life. Taking greater control is a form of self-love. Self-love is a big part of self-care. It’s all connected.
 
Our goal is to support caregiver power and to help YOU put on your caregiver cape and not be affected by what others do or how they might treat you. This isn’t the kind of power that exploits others, but instead is a positive, peaceful power that comes from knowledge, understanding, and a strong grasp of the reality of the world we live in. We certainly need a strong grasp of reality these days.
 
Lifelong learning creates caregiver power through understanding and helps us become stronger and more confident. As caregivers, we become more empowered by understanding, accepting, and owning what we can control and what we can change … by improving our understanding of our loved one’s mental illness and realizing what is out of their (and our) control … and by understanding the challenges and limitations of our loved one who is living with mental illness.
 
For me, lifelong learning affirms that I am perfectly imperfect and a work in progress. Even as a caregiver, I know I have SO much to learn, and I pledge to continue my journey of lifelong learning. I know I CAN learn new things … all of us can!