The other night I noticed that one of my headlights was out. When I called our auto mechanic in the morning the recording said that they were closed for the week. My mind went into a whirlwind of how not to drive after dark for a week to avoid getting a ticket. Then my husband disappeared into the basement. When he came back 15 minutes later, he handed me a small lightbulb and asked me to buy a replacement at Autozone. It cost me a few dollars, and my car was back in business in minutes.

We live in an age of information, transparency, do-it-yourself, and availability of just about anything that was previously only accessible to professionals. It’s empowering and puts us in the driver seat. In the past I would have had to wait for the shop to reopen a week later to get the headlight fixed and it would have cost a lot more than a few dollars. Whether it’s about purchasing specialty items or acquiring information – the availability of pretty much anything to pretty much everybody gives us agency and puts us in charge. We’re no longer helpless, or at the mercy of a professional’s hocus pocus, and perhaps even price gauging. We can find out for ourselves and direct a desired outcome like never before.

In the wellness arena we’re becoming the project managers of our health with the help of publicly available information – no more Gods in the white coats. We can have a productive dialogue with the providers and jointly decide on the best course of action. When we built our house a few years ago we researched construction methods, mechanical systems, and renewable energy options, and were able to have a productive dialogue with the architect and contractor and make informed decisions.

Times have changed. You’ve been empowered.