Find Your Gift – Weekly Focus Point 3

I remember a while back, I was based at an office, different to where I work from today, and there was this cleaning lady who worked there that would come in at the same time every day. Her name was Joan and she was an elderly Irish lady but she used to scuttle around like she was a teenager. She was the kind of person you wish you could adopt as a grand parent. She was so bubbly and friendly but she had a very strong Irish accent so most evenings she would come over and chat to me and most of the time I didn’t have a clue what she was saying but I would just nod my head in agreement and just enjoy the interaction.

She was so conscientious about her job and she did everything meticulously! She would also always collect everyones coffee/tea cups, wash them and return them. Even if you accidently left your cup on someone elses desk guaranteed that it would be back on your desk by the following morning! That was only annoying if you were for some reason or another trying to get rid of your old chipped coffee mug! 😆 She had a wonderful gift of not only bringing a smile to my face and that of my colleagues but she also always had time for everyone!

For this weeks weekly focus point I want to explore what your gift is. Everyone on this planet is blessed with a unique gift or talent and our job is to let that gift emerge and for us to then go and exploit that gift as much as possible! Most of the time the word ‘exploit’ is a bit of a dirty word but I’m talking about taking that gift and utilzing it in a way that benefits wo/mankind.

I’ve realised over the years that I have not just one but many gifts to offer the world and that is the case for everyone! I’ve seen people afraid to acknowledge their own gifts and they lock them away in a shoebox never to be seen again! Talents can come in many different guises and forms. You might be an amazing listener, singer, dancer, mathematician, designer, photographer, speaker, writer, engineer, performer, artist, model etc…the list just goes on!

I have a very close friend, his name is Apresh, and he recently quit his job after establishing himself and as a top wedding photographer. He is also an amazing creative designer and originally began his own business doing web design; he designed and created my life coaching website, but realised he could use his design talents, combine it with his passion for photography, and eventually created his now highly successful photography business.

I also have another close friend, his name is Sunny, and he also started off his career as a web designer but his is now a very successful free lance journalist and is the editor of 3 very popular blogs and think-tanks that he created; again utilising his web design skills.

If you can make money from your talents then that is of course a huge bonus and no matter what your talent if you’re really creative you’ll find a way to make money from it. Have you ever seen those street performers who make themselves look like statues? The average passer by might think that it’s a bizarre hobby; who wants to stand still for a whole day! I can’t stand in one spot for 10 minutes without getting a backache and yet these people do it all day! They feel passionate about it and they love what they do and make money to boot!

I hear it so often from people who feel frustrated and idle because their 9-5’s have become 8-7’s. They end up spending more time at work then they would like to and have very little energy left to do anything else once the day is over. It’s a vicious cycle also because what they don’t realise is that if they were to use their free time for other productive inspiring tasks then they would naturally feel more energetic and feel like they have more time to do the other things that they love doing.

So the focus point for you this week is two fold:

1. If you don’t know what your talent or gift is find it and acknowledge that you do have a talent. Not just one, but many!

2. Put the gift to good use. You don’t have to make money from it but utilise it in a way that is invigorating to you! I would love to hear from you about what your gift is so please feel free to share in the comments.