What ARE Your Gifts???

Ok, first things first and straight to the point – what are your gifts or talents? Again, the point of all of this is to use your gift to live your life and prosper, bless yourself and be a blessing to others and be fulfilled and joyful.  Well, you can’t quite do that if you aren’t completely sure what your gifts or talents are.  And don’t get down on yourself about it because some folks just don’t know or have not been placed in the way to recognize their gifts.  It may not be as obvious a thing as some artistic gifts such as singing, dancing or sculpting.  The range of gifts bestowed upon us exceeds any limits that we could imagine.  With that said, one often has many more than simply one talent.  True, there may be one or two gifts that are more prevalent than others and that may flow from you more easily, but trust that you have more than you probably know.  One of the lovely things about it all is that if you open yourself up to the recognition and acknowledgement of your gifts, talents and special abilities, you can spend your life reveling in the joy of constantly discovering the gifts and talents that you have and building upon them – expanding your success and contributions.  As you grow, evolve and learn, doesn’t it make sense that your potential further increases by using existing and newly discovered gifts as vehicles? And doesn’t it make since that your gifts could be used in support of one another to your greater end? Yes, it does.  So the first step in this journey is to identify them – or, rather, begin to identify them.

• Assess your hobbies and those things that people think you are good at. Is it an obvious talent that you have? Or is it a characteristic or quality that you have which is something that one needs to do what you do so well? If that’s the case, what are those qualities and characteristics and in what other areas of your life are they applied? In those areas, are you successful? When you use them, are you happy? Does it feel good? These are some questions that you can start to ask yourself as you essentially dissect yourself to find these internal gems. Of those things that people believe that you are exceptional at, be mindful of the details with those compliments. Are they complimenting a gift (given you) or a skill (that you’ve learned)? If a skill learned, try to determine what underlying gift was present in your obtaining and developing that particular skill. The key will be in the root: the root came from the seed of your gift being sown and it will be from that root that your harvest will flourish.
• What do you daydream and fantasize about? Ok, sometimes I daydream that I have an AMAZING voice and can sing the pants off of anyone! But that’s not my reality, it’s just fun.  But something else that I daydream about is being a best-selling author speaking to a room full of people about my latest work or encouraging them to Dream Free or Die! So of your fantasies, which ones are just fun and which of them have something that tugs at your reality? Where does your passion lie, or in what could you find yourself passionate? Again, consider your qualities, characteristics and abilities when thinking on these things to identify your gifts and talents. Perhaps you envision yourself as a parent of a herd of children. That desire of your heart could very well become your reality, but note that it could also mean that you have a gift in cultivating and working with children. It’s up to you to explore that further for truth. Do you just want a flock of children for yourself, or could you see yourself as a person dedicated to working with other children as well?
• Explore all possibilities. All of those things that you wanted to try – try them!  Your interests could very well be that internal nudge necessary to awaken your ability to recognize something within yourself that you hadn’t been able to before.  Whether it be learning a language, taking a class, traveling, bungee jumping, white water rafting – whatever, try it all. You never know what amazing quality or gift will emerge.
• Pay attention to your quirks and idiosyncrasies.  Try digging a little deeper and analyzing why you do some of the uncommon and different things that you do.  Again, that could be a gift of yours oozing out of you in a strange, but charmingly you kind of way.

Now that you have some steps to take and things to look for to start working on discovering your gifts and talents, be sure to open your mind, heart and spirit to it. Be dedicated and true. This is your life, your purpose, your joy that you are working on here. This right now, if nothing else, is all about you for you. Your gifts will emerge and present themselves to you and youwill be able to recognize them.  How wonderful is that! For those of us who know what some of our gifts and talents are, there’s no harm in seeking out the discovery of others. Take the time to write them down or journal in more detail about them – how you discovered them and how you were sure. Then start to add to that some ideas that may come to you in how to utilize these gifts to fulfill your purpose and bring you pleasure. You’ll have a reference to come back to and build upon when life steps in and tries to derail you or you get just that busy that you forget.  Think of the written log or journal as a bookmark.  This openness, change of mindset and action is already aligning you with destiny.  With this, you’ve stepped on the path.

If you’d like, respond to this post or fill out the form on the Contact Dream Free page and share what you’ve discovered.  I would love to read about it! Or if you have questions, need advice or are seeking clarity on something I’ve written, definitely use the online contact form or email at info@dreamfreeordie.com.  Stay tuned to the next post in this category as we start working through what we are to do with the gifts that we have.  Until then, dream free!