What are your gifts? The offerings you make or give to others for which they feel grateful and appreciative.
Grab something to write or type on and make a list, as long as you can, of all the qualities, aspects, talents you possess that you come by naturally.
For example:
Being: empathic, radically compassionate, generous, patient, focused, organized, kind, forgiving, adventurous, open-minded, innovative, resourceful, creative, technically proficient, imaginative, able to envision things, self-motivated, etc.
Able to: network, connect with resources, receive or give intuitive guidance (to self or others), learn new things & teach others, love without conditions, nurture others, manage multi-layered projects, see the bigger picture or the potential in people or situations, lead and inspire others, etc.
As well as any specific creative gifts you have as an artist or creative person – to compose, paint, make music, act, dance, tell jokes, write, direct, perform, make magic, etc.
Keep going with your list until you’re starting to feel like a show-off! And then add more!
Now – make another list of all the ‘reasons’ why you cannot or do not share your gifts in the world, right now.
All your thoughts, beliefs, stories, lies, concerns and ‘what-ifs’ that you have allowed to stop you from having your gifts being fully seen, heard, known, appreciated or loved by others. The rationale you use to habitually justify not taking the actions you instinctively know you could take, to create the things that really matter to you.
Maybe you believe:
* you don’t have enough time, energy or financial support to share your gifts fully
* you’re too old or too young
* you’re too busy
* others don’t want what you’re offering
* people won’t pay for the gifts you share, and you can’t afford to share them for free
* what you want to share isn’t ‘good or cool enough’
* it’s ‘just not in the cards’ for you
* it’s too hard to find a way to share your gifts
* you don’t know how or where to begin
* you don’t even know what your gifts are
Write them all down, everything you’ve ever believed to be true about you and your own gifts. Things you’ve told yourself, that others have said to you, that society or the world in general expect you to uphold. All of it!
NOW – keep these lists somewhere handy. I want you to read it every day.
As you read your list of gifts, continue to add to it and allow yourself to appreciate yourself more and more. Begin to see yourself as others see you, who have benefitted from experiencing or receiving your gifts.
As you read your list of ‘reasons’ why you can’t share your gifts more fully, begin to poke holes in those thoughts and beliefs.
Begin to ask yourself if they really are a ‘fixed truth’ – or – if they are simply conclusions you’ve made and mistakenly believed them to be a ‘fixed truth’ – which have often then become self-fulfilling prophecies and life patterns – but that you can now begin to see… it ain’t necessarily so.
I can’t tell you how many stories I read lately about artists and athletes and entrepreneurs who didn’t even begin discovering, developing and sharing their gifts until well after their children were raised – many in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and beyond!
Until you are willing to see that the wizard is just an illusion behind the curtain, pressing all of your buttons (with the ‘good’ intention of keeping you ‘safe’ in your comfort zone) – you will tend to follow any arbitrary road that just keeps bringing you back to the same impasse. And you will keep losing your focus on the things that really matter to you!
If you truly desire to be someone who shares your gifts in the world – no ‘good reason’ will stop you.
Once you let this realization in and begin to soften your death grip on those ‘reasons’ – your next step is to become a container or vessel that is able to contain, flow and share your gifts in the ways you desire to do so.
In many ways, you are already a perfect vessel for expressing your gifts. Others may be a stretch for you, which simply means that you follow the guidance for expanding yourself as an adequate container for that which you wish to express … AKA … get support and begin to practice to strengthen your ‘weak spots.’ We often have to learn new things along the way to creating what we want. This is good! This is why singers take singing lessons, why writers hire editors, why competitive athletes train daily with coaches.
Start now, with your lists. Every day brings you more and more opportunities to shine your light and share your gifts.
Start small, start simple … just start.
And if you are feeling uninspired about expressing and sharing your gifts, maybe it’s time for you to expand your comfort zone! What gifts would you share if you truly gave up all those ‘good reasons’ and went for it? People are ready to be inspired by YOU!
What are YOU waiting for?
The Awakened Artist SOULtuning Course and The Conscious Creator Course are both a great support for you, if you’re looking to deepen your connection with your creative power, and become part of a growing community of conscious creators. FIND OUT WHEN THE NEXT COURSES ARE! Offered on Zoom!