Episode 31 – Don’t waste your gifts

• We all have gifts
• You may think “What is she talking about?” I have nothing special about me
• But I say – yes you do.
• And today I would like to help you become aware of your gifts
• Your gifts, your assets, the things you were born with or acquired along the way
• The details that make you YOU
• The characteristics that your friends and your family appreciate and value
• It took me many years to realize that my smile was such a gift
• People love my smile – they always comment on it
• I don’t see it so its hard for me to love it
• And I wasn’t always generous with it
• And I definitely never thought of my smile as a gift
• Its seems so insignificant
• But for someone who doesn’t much recognize her abilities, it’s a start
• This can be a start for you too.
• What are your passions, your skills, your abilities and experiences that make you unique?
• What do people comment on when they meet you?

• Ask yourself, “What am I good at? What do I love to do? What gets my heartrate going?
• What is it that people affirm in me?
• Start small
  • Is it your kindness?
  • I have a friend – she is extremely kind. I have never met a person quite like her. Everything she says is with love and compassion. She smiles, she is warm and she makes me feel comfortable every time. She is special and unique and has this wonderful gift of being kind and relating to people
  • What do people compliment you on?
  • Are you good with something very specific? Spreadsheet, writing, taking photos?
  • Have you had certain experiences that others may benefit from?
• These examples may seem small and insignificant but they are your starting point.
• Just like material gifts – that range from huge to small
• I bet you have at some point received a very small gift that meant a lot to you
• It’s the same with your gifts
• They may seem small to you, but to someone else your gift could mean the world
• So today I am encouraging you – don’t waste your gifts
• The problem is not a lack of gifts
• Like I just said – we all have them
• But only a few people are very good at utilizing and capitalizing from them
• The problem is that we quit to soon, thinking we have nothing special to offer to the world
• We compare ourselves to public figures, people whose gifts shine bright every day
• We don’t realize that they also started somewhere
• And you know what they did?
• They honed their gifts, they followed their heart and they grew and developed their passions
• They also worked super hard
• Do you know how many people are in the gym on a Friday night, a Saturday afternoon, or a Sunday morning?
• Hardly anyone. I know because I am there.
• Its packed on Mondays, but as the week progresses, the numbers dwindle
• Most of us stop to early, or we never start:
  • Just because our gift may not appear to us early in life like it does for others
  • Just because our parents don’t see the talents in us early on
  • Just because we didn’t have the resources to develop any special skills
• That doesn’t mean we don’t have any gifts
• Just because you work in a job that you don’t enjoy doesn’t mean you don’t have gifts that merit a more exciting position
• And your gifts don’t necessarily have to become your job or a source of income
• Just because you don’t have a specific hobby
• Just because you are not getting excited about something
• Just because you failed a lot, fell on your face, suffered and are in pain
• All this is not an indicator for not having gifts
• Your gifts can be something that you enjoy doing without making money from it
  • Playing an instrument
  • Singing
  • Painting
  • Hiking
  • Swimming
• Your gifts can be something that others turn to you for – your expertise, your knowledge, your own experiences
• Even the pain you suffered – you turn it into a gift by helping others that go through something similar
• Your gifts could be your part of your personality, your character, and the way you show up in the world

• The problem is not a lack of gifts
• The problem is blindness
• We don’t see our gifts
• And because we don’t see them, we waste them.
  • Your kindness is wasted on people who take advantage of you instead of the people that really need it
  • Your experiences and knowledge is wasted on people that don’t listen to what you have to offer
  • Your intelligence is wasted on activities that don’t challenge you
  • Your drive and motivation is not utilized because you cant get out of your comfort zone
  • Your smile is wasting away because you don’t use it
• The problem is not a lack of gifts
• The problem is that we don’t know what to do with what we’ve been given
• The problem is that we thinkwe need something else to get started, something other than what we have
• Instead of starting with what we have, wherever we are, we remain paralyzed
• We wait for situations and people to reach us
• And in the meantime, we waste our gifts

• Change it around today
• Identify something you enjoy and start from there
• there may be a little bit of effort required, and more work even if you want to take it further
• But the good news is – the work wont feel like work
• You will enjoy every minute of it
• As you keep putting in the work, you will improve, gain clarity, and uncover what works for you.
• Do still you think that you dont have anything to offer the world?
• Reframe the question and ask: what can I offer to myself?
• Forget about the world for a minute
• You first have to discover what you enjoy, then you can think about how it can benefit the world
• Many of us don’t even know what we enjoy, other than slouching in front of a screen and spacing out
• That’s not life
• That is wasting your gifts
• Take the time and think about it
• It may take a while for you to discover
• The best way is to ask the question, every day, if needed, during your morning mediation possibly, the time when you get quiet
• Slowly you will discover the answers
• And don’t give up too soon
• Just because it doesn’t come to you right away
• Try things out
• Take a class, experiment, ask people for feedback
• If you don’t utilize your gifts, you are missing out on a fulfilling life – because its exactly those gifts and talents that, when used, will allow you to live a rewarding and joyful life