Skip to main content

Engaging in the activities that we love creates a sense of fulfillment within. For some people their work is their passion.  We all know the saying about ‘do what you love and you will never work another day in your life again.‘ I wonder how many of us are doing what we love as a vocation?  Or even as a hobby? There can be so many belief systems in place blocking us from pursuing the activities that are deeply meaningful.  Some of them are valid.  Perhaps there are other priorities that must come first; care of children or elderly, lack of money to pay for courses or resources, limited opportunity due to geographic location.

So what is your gift?  What happens to you inside even as you read that sentence? Is there a swell of joyful recognition? A confusion about what your gift may be? Or a sinking feeling that might decide, ‘don’t have a gift…….’  What does gift even mean? A musical prodigy?  An Olympic athlete? An inspirational speaker?  Your ‘gift’ from my point of reference is that which you flow into effortlessly and lovingly. It’s not about being recognised as being world class or as a leader in a field. That ‘something’ that you do, draws you in comprehensively.  A clue for me is that in the doing of this special something, you seem to light up inside.  When you are doing it you can loose yourself in it for hours and not notice the time pass due to your deep involvement. What did you love doing as a child?  There can often be a key in there to finding the answer. Did you love taking things apart to see how they work?  Building things?  Creating new things? Which games did you like to play most?  What was it about being a super hero, a Mum or a teacher that had you say, ‘lets play ……’ The feeling is all important.

Your gift could be so many different things. Perhaps it’s the creation of a physical thing like an artistic sculpture or a song.  Maybe it’s the capacity to be empathic. Perhaps it’s an innate knowledge of animals. Perhaps its the deep sunshine in your nature that positively affects others around you?  If you were to be gifted a week where you could step out of your current work place and all your personal responsibilities were suspended and anything was possible, what would you chose to be doing?  Would you set the alarm and go to your normal work place?  Or would you be reporting to Warner Bros studios, NASA, a photographic shop or a hairdresser’s studio?

Allow yourself to dream.  It’s free.  If you focus on something for long enough you generally draw it towards you.  Positive or negative, so be careful what you think about.  If you have a voice in your head that says, “this is stupid, I could never do that,” you have just re-enforced that statement as a truth. Keep repeating it and it becomes a fixed reality.  A far more powerful alternative is to say I wonder what I would have to be prepared to do to get a job like that?  I might just talk to people in that industry or work place to find out what it’s like.  Enthusiasm and curiosity are powerful magnetic attractors.  One of my friends who runs his own independent business recently tracked down a large franchisee store owner (recently retired) and asked him to share some of his business knowledge.  Just landed on his door step unannounced one Sunday morning, rang the front door bell and humbly asked for some guidance.  How would you respond to that?  My friend has a vision and he isn’t afraid to ask for advice. Personally, I would have had a deep compulsion to assist him, feeling a kindred spirit in front of me.

Will curiosity take you out to explore this week?  Will you hunt for a means to pursue your gift or even to define it?  Find a way to incorporate it into your life as a hobby or a vocation?