All Things Inspired

Your gift: A blessing to be shared with others.

In the last article we discussed the topic that a gift, although popular this time of year, is not necessarily a material item. As we determined in that article, the material meaning of the word gift is that of giving to someone with no expectation of something in return. We also determined that giving a gift is not always a material item, but rather the giving of our talents or experience. This too is usually given with no expectation of something in return. Your gift is a blessing to be shared with others in hopes of impacting their lives.

You may still be searching for what your gift is. Each one of us has within us a special quality that can make an impact on other people's lives. We are each born with a set of unique talents or gifts. Yet the question asked throughout generations is, "What is my purpose in life?" For many, they will spend a lifetime in search of the answer, struggling to recognize the special gift within themselves. While this may not be obvious, you could be doing things that somewhat come naturally to you, and perhaps inside of that is where lies what you were meant to do in your life.

To begin taking a closer look in your search, let's examine some ways to identify and share your inherent gift. Let's start this process by going back to as early as your childhood and progressing up through your interests currently. Here's some questions to ponder as you reflect...

What did you like to spend your time on as a child?
What stuck out to you as being most enjoyable for you?
What did you want to be when you grew up? We know this might be an unrealistic list of answers for some while for others, the path has always been clear.
When you were in high school, when you were able to start selecting some classes of interest, what types of classes did you most enjoy?
As you became aware of the community around you or events you saw happening in the news, what piqued your interest?
As you became an adult, what did you start noticing was passionate to you? What lit you up or got you motivated?
Is there something you enjoy doing so much that you lose track of time while engaged in the activity?
What is important in your life?
Have you asked friends, family, or co-workers what they see excite you? A different perspective can offer light on your hidden gifts.

Have you ever considered taking a strengths assessment? There are numerous options available online for you to explore. The key is once you start to identify your values, what you're passionate about, you can begin to explore opportunities to build your life around these findings. Can your interests be impactful to others?

If you can benefit from this activity, next you must ask yourself, "How do I share my gift with the world?" You must believe that you have a gift, and you can share it with others. And do not ever think that your gift, or it's impact, is not big enough to be impactful on someone. No matter how big or small your gift, it can and will be beneficial to someone. Now some of you might still be struggling with the discovery phase of finding your gift. That's okay too. Hopefully the practice we outlined of identifying your gift can expand beyond the previous exercise and become more thought provoking and examined in greater detail by asking yourself additional key questions you might think of to draw out your passions.

Assuming you have identified your gift, let's talk about sharing your gift with others. The value of sharing is so important as it helps other relate and apply your gift to their journey in life. For example, in my journey, I've always liked expressing my thoughts through writing. When I was younger, I always thought that I might want to become a writer, maybe for a newspaper or an author of books. I failed to pursue that course at that time. As it is never too late to pursue your dreams, a few years ago I had an opportunity to begin writing about motivational things. I shared my thoughts with my sales team in hopes of bringing some sense of inspiration to their life and work, and in doing so have received positive feedback. As time has passed, the exposure of this has grown outside of my team. With additional feedback received, along with advice from family and close advisors, it led me to soon begin publishing this blog publicly in hopes of sharing with others who might benefit from what I believe to be my gift.

Let's talk about you now. How do you go about sharing your gift? Here's a few suggestions to consider...

Find and develop a vehicle by which you can get your message to others. This might include a blog such as this, other social or online platforms, podcasts, or YouTube channels to name a few. Focus on topics related to your gift so that you can reach those who need to hear your message.
Determine your audience. How can you reach your audience in addition to social media?
If applicable, try volunteering in your community. For example, if your gift is building things, perhaps you can get involved with an organization such as Habitat for Humanity, building homes for people who need the support. Explore what volunteering opportunities align with your gift.
Take action. You might have tons of talent, but if you don't practice and sharpen your skills, you will have wasted your gift.

As we said early on in this topic, your gift is a blessing to be shared in hopes of impacting other people's lives. Giving can be such a meaningful thing for not only those who receive your gift, but for the immeasurable feeling of self-worth that it provides for you as well.

As you ponder the question of the meaning or purpose of life, I'll close with a quote from famous artist, Pablo Picasso who said, "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." Or another way to put it is to...

Be inspired! Inspire others!