In a season when we are encouraged to focus on our blessings, if you are willing to recognize and give thanks for WHO you uniquely are, then you will engage one of the most powerful strategies for actually living a fulfilling life: making the most of who you really are.
Many people don't.
Not only are they not thankful for who they are, they aren't even willing to acknowledge who they are....their talents, gifts, insights, abilities, passions, concerns, etc.
And lest you think I'm referring to everybody else, let me remind you (in a creative edge way), or better yet, ask you:
What talents, gifts, insights, abilities, passions, skills, dreams...are you hiding from the world (and yourself)?
-- Claudia S. was hiding that she loved working with kids, and had a natural talent for it. She was too busy at her office job.
-- Sam I. had an overwhelming concern about HIV/AIDS in Africa. But he didn't have any medical background and didn't know anyone at the World Health Organization, so he mostly kept it to himself.
-- Jane G. had a knack for making people laugh, which she pulled out on only one occaison a year: the New Year's Eve party with her close friends.
-- Sean B. had a dream of writing a children's book and a gift for sketching. But everybody knows that it's too late to bring that up once you turn 50.
These are all examples of people who are busy forgetting who they are. They are busy doing all kinds of things. But not what they could uniquely do.
So my weekly challenge to you is twofold:
(1) For today, just acknowledge and give thanks for WHO you uniquely are. List your talents, gifts, insights, abilities, passions, skills and dreams. And be thankful that you have them in the special combination that makes YOU. Then...
(2) As you're thinking about the coming year, make a plan to have more of WHO you are show up. Commit to some steps for putting more of YOU in play in the coming year.
Personally, and among other things, I am thankful for my abilities in music, laughter and knowing how to support growth, my skills in listening and coaching and facilitating, my abilities to see the big picture and generate exciting ideas, my dreams of being a bridge-builder with people and a performer, and for being filled with patience and love.
I look forward to sharing more about my own plans for bringing more of ME to the world, even as I continue to ask YOU about yours.
BOTTOM LINE: Be thankful for all of WHO you are and you will bring more of YOU to the world. The world will be better for it. And so will you.
BE more,
Tom
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POWER QUESTIONS:
1. What are my talents, gifts, insights, abilities, passions, skills and dreams?
2. What gifts in particular about me do I keep hidden?
3. How can I offer more of who I uniquely am to the world in the coming year?
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