Everyone Is Gifted
A wise person once said, “Everyone is gifted, but some people never open their package.”
Do you know what your gifts are? It’s a valid question. There are so many people on the planet either living in automatic mode out of necessity or out of habit. They’re not very aware of the “tools” they’ve been gifted with and don’t actively and consciously rise to their own potential.
I suspect that if you’re reading this, you already have some awareness or at least have a yearning to know. And it’s possible, too, that if you’ve dropped out of automatic gear to carve out time to reflect, you might be finding it difficult to see what you’re trying to see. You might be struggling to step back and look at yourself objectively. If so, that’s perfectly normal… you live in the skin you’re in, and it’s the only viewpoint you’ve known for a long time.
That’s why an inquiry process is so useful. When the person is open and willing, I’ve seen it bring extraordinary clarity. It’s not very hard to do as long as you’re asking yourself good questions and you trust that you DO have the answers. The idea is to let the answers come forth so that your left brain can notice patterns and do the analyzing work it’s meant to do for you.
Below are a few excellent inquiry areas that will help your left brain do its job well.
Think about what energizes you…
A popular question among career consultants and life coaches is “What do you like that doing so much that you lose track of time?” That’s a great way to look at it. Another variation of this question that I like to ask is, “What are the activities and tasks that you do and still feel energized at the end of the day versus those that drain your energy?”
Look into your childhood…
What are the talents that have always come naturally to you, even when you were young? Maybe we’re not as naturally gifted as Mozart, who understood music at age 3 and was composing at age 5 – but you have something that stood out about you. Were you always taking apart appliances and putting them back together again? Were you the one who everyone came to when they need a friend to talk to? If you can’t think of anything, reflect on what kinds of things strongly captured your imagination. What were your dreams when you were a kid? Did you want to be an astronaut, a ballerina, an archaeologist, etc. The qualities which attracted you about those roles reveal clues about your gifts.
Consider the dark side…
There are clues hidden in the dark side, too. Being all about positive attitude and optimistic outlooks, the dark side isn’t a place where I usually suggest we go. However, I’m not asking you to go there to stay there. I just want you to think about it for a moment because it’s important to look at this from all the angles. The truth is that our greatest strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses. What are the negative labels that you’ve been called – such as bossy, compulsive, daydreamer, etc.? Your gifts show up in your life no matter what you’re doing because they are who you are. Consider how your gifts might have been misunderstood, misapplied or would be considered weaknesses when used at the “wrong” place or time.
You are gifted and you are driven to open your package. Don’t delay! The world is waiting to see what’s inside, too!
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Angela Loëb helps people rediscover and use their gifts so they can bring who they are to what they do. To learn more, please visit: www.insyncresources.com
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