What Gifts Do You Have to Share?

We all have gifts and talents.  Talents are those things that we have a natural knack for. We see a little kid who can hit a softball seemingly into outer space.  The young man who can swim like a fish, or the young girl who can flip, twirl and perform incredible feats with her body on the vault, beam or floor.

But it’s not just young people.  It’s all of us. 

We all have some natural talent. Maybe it’s in art, music, or leadership. Maybe your quiche runs circles around any that anyone else has experienced.  Perhaps your eye for photography is unrivaled.

When we take a natural talent, and add knowledge, experience and practice, our natural talent over time  becomes a strength.

The question is not do you have natural talents and strengths, the question is are you using them? Are you sharing them in your workplace or business, with your children, your community and the world?

Most of us get so compliant or complacent we end up living  our lives small and steady - whatever natural talent we had when we were young gets squashed under the weight of living out societal scripts… how many people do you know that had dreams, ambitions, and visions of sharing their gifts only to comply with expectations of family, friends, their religion, or society itself?

Maybe you are one of them.

A quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer in his book, 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace, is “Don’t Die with Your Music Still in You.”

As long as you have breath and a pulse, you can grow your talents into strengths and choose to overcome the fears that serve to hold you back.

You can choose to conquer and dismiss the inner voice that tries to convince you that your talents or strengths are not good enough…

Because the world is a broken and fragile place…  any bit of “music” that you still have in you needs to be shared. Your gifts, talents, passions and strengths can make a difference in one person’s day or life. Or sharing with the world may change something in a big way for many people.

You can go to your grave and take your self doubt with you, or, you can decide today that the passions that still burn inside of you deserve a place. They deserve to be seen and heard and used to bless others.

Not everyone can paint the Sistine Chapel. Or be a prize winning author.  But you know what you can be?  Uniquely you. 

If you are gifted at baking, share your talent. If you write poetry- share it with the world despite someone discouraging you from doing it.

Think about your final finish line… the one we all have waiting for us in the end.

What are you being called to do between today and that day?  What talents and strengths have you been sitting on thinking, “someday”.

Let today be a new beginning for you.  A day to pause and imagine what it would feel like to share your gifts with family, friends, your community and /or the world.

What would you do if you thought failure was not an option?  What would you say, sing, write, paint or play? 

What contributions would you make if you were not playing small?  Find your voice.

Live out your talents and strengths.  You only have this one life to make a difference.

If you are someone who is spiritual or religious, remind yourself where your talents and strengths came from, and then give Him the glory.

Either way, you are uniquely you, so let your beautiful light shine for all to see.