If you are just joining in, we are in the middle of a 31 day series on Living with Purpose. You can join in from day one HERE.
Yesterday we visited about discovering your strengths. If you did not read the post, please hop over and read it now. There is something so valuable and affirming about knowing your strengths and God-given talents. Once again, I urge you to get any one of the StrengthsFinder assessments and take it.
Does your life ever feel like a blur? You aren’t sure where you’re suppose to be or what you should be doing. Well, bringing focus to what we are gifted to do or what our talents are helps us know the path on which we should step out.
So many times when we talk of talents, we think only of athletic, music, writing, or even artistic talent. But that’s not the case. Each of us are talented. Talents come in many forms and fashions.
Is it easy for you to talk to others?
Do you love working with children?
Can you organize and plan well?
Are you great with numbers and spreadsheets?
Do you enjoying writing encouragement cards or letters to others?
Do you love the nitty-gritty details of a project?
Can you feel the emotions of another person when you visit with them?
Do you continually encourage and inspire others?
If you answered yes to any of the above, that’s a talent. We are not all wired the same way by our Heavenly Father. And remember — talents don’t just come in big packages, they come even in the littlest of sizes. If you still aren’t sure then read little isn’t little from Day 12. Nope, if it’s your talent and you are faithfully using it then it is huge!
Spend time examining yourself and getting to know your strengths and talents. It is so freeing when someone asks what your strengths are and you can actually answer. I know because I was in such a situation last week . . .
I was sitting in a meeting and out of the blue we were asked to name our top two strengths. Now before I would have gagged and thought Seriously, I don’t have any. But last week I was able to say aloud and describe my top two strengths. Did it feel awkward? YES! Was it freeing? YES!
Spend some time getting to know yourself and your strenths. Write them down. Claim them.
It is so freeing!
I think my strengths would be trying to encourage people, and photography. :)
Of course God keeps adding to the list daily! :)
This was actually quite encouraging to me today :) I've been frustrated lately that all my years of higher education have left me with what, on paper, looks like not much "experience." But they sure as heck gave me some skills and honed my talents! One of my weirdest? Public speaking. I have no fear of talking in front of other people, whether that's 5 or 1,000. I don't usually think of it when I think about strengths, but it is.
(and that other post reminded me to find my old copy of strengths quest and figure out what my 5 are! I bet they've changed over time)
Another great post! I can't wait to dive deeper into discovering my strengths! As a professional (who went to 6 years of GRAD school) I am often discouraged that I don't feel passionate about my work. I see myself as a "jack-of-all-trades" type, which can certainly be a blessing but can also leave you feeling overwhelmed and directionless at times. Also, I think because I went to so much schooling even though my work isn't as fulfilling as I thought it would be, I HAVE to stick with what I'm doing. I think part of what I do comes easily to me, so people tell me it's a gift. Maybe so. But, really knowing where my strengths lie (something I've never really taken the time to examine) may give me better perspective on where my passion might be hiding. Thanks!
While reading this I remembered something! lol Silly me! I used to work for a very small Christian publishing company for not much pay. At the time I needed the money but I LOVED the work. I hadn't gotten a project from them in about a year and was missing it. So, I wrote to them and said we are on better financial footing now and I'd love to do my old job for free! What a great way to bless us both! I'm still waiting for a project though! lol