How to Discover Your Gifts and Share Them with the World

We may not be aware of it yet, but each of us has a unique set of gifts and talents that enable us to fulfill our special purpose and contribution to the world. Some of us discover our talents early in life in the more obvious ways as an athlete, artist, storyteller, or natural teacher. Others tend to bloom later and their gifts are less obvious; they may be great in supporting people through excellent listening skills and empathy, they may be terrific organizers and project managers, they might be great fund-raisers, or patient with the elderly or disabled.

Our individual gifts may be those talents we’re instinctively good at or those activities we naturally love to do? Those gifts that come from our passion, our creativity or inspiration are the ones that are ultimately the most powerful and the most useful to the world around us. You may realize that you are a natural visionary or creative idea person who develops new concepts or you may be the natural born organizer, who takes those concepts from theory into reality. You may be one of those rare people who love selling or numbers may fascinate you. You may be an efficient and eloquent communicator or a talented researcher. You may be a great mediator or team leader. You may be a gifted builder of things or you may be a whiz at figuring out how to use things.

Before you can share your gifts, however you first have to discover what they are.

Discover Your Gifts

How can you identify what your gifts are? They are often right underneath our noses, but we aren’t able to recognize them. Sometimes we have an idea what our gifts are but we have no idea how they could possibly be useful in the real world. Where do we start?

Ask your friends and family to help you discover them. What stands out about you may be blatantly clear to others, but may not always be as apparent to you. What things do you do naturally and with ease that others say, “Gee, I wish I could do that _____ like you do” or “You make that look so easy.” You usually say, “It’s nothing special, no big deal. It’s just something I like to do.” Ding Ding Ding. Those are the bells going off in your head signaling they may be onto something.

Try new things. Take a class, join a group, or try something you’ve always secretly wanted to do. Those small whispers of, “I’d really like to try that someday…” may offer clues to your natural talents. If it’s fun and comes easily to you, it’s something you should definitely explore.

Look for the A+. Think about where in your life, now and in the past, when you have easily excelled at something, without much effort at all. I’m not talking about the math test that you had to study three days in order to get a. I’m talking about the essay that seem to just flow from your fingers or the drawing that came out of nowhere and you itself. It could be the technology you find fascinating and exciting, while others struggle to figure it out.

It makes you happy. This may seem obvious but it isn’t always. Think about things you look forward to doing and really enjoy doing, even if they don’t seem very useful. If time flies or you feel energized while you’re doing it that’s a good indication that you have an aptitude for it. If you love sharing it with others, it’s probably a gift.

Follow your heart. Whatever your gifts are, don’t discount them. Each one is valuable. All are equally important to each of us in fulfilling our individual purpose, as well as learning our own life’s lessons. There are so many gifts people share that may seem invisible or inconsequential, but that have a lasting influence on those around them.

Share Your Gifts With the World

Turn your gift into a business or career. This isn’t always possible, or at least not entirely possible. However, when it is this can be a fabulous way to share your gift with the world. When you have a natural gift, you deliver higher-quality work with a happy, positive attitude. While you’re enjoying your work, the people on the receiving end benefit as well.

Mentor others. Mentoring is a wonderful way to share your gifts. Share what you’ve learned and help others along the way, so they can turn around and do the same thing. It’s a kind of “pay it forward,” circle of support that  contributes something valuable to the world and at the same time provides satisfaction, growth and joy to the giver.

Volunteer. Often, though we may not be able to make money with our innate talents or gifts, we may be able to offer them through volunteering. Maybe you’re great fundraiser or you love telling stories to sick children. Maybe you have a green thumb and you can contribute to a community garden. Maybe you enjoy building things, painting, or decorating and you can work with Habitat for Humanity. Perhaps you can play the piano at a nursing home. The opportunities are endless.

Inspire others. Whether you make money with your gifts, volunteer your gifts, teach your gifts, or simply practice your gifts in your everyday life, you may be an inspiration to others. By discovering your gifts, you motivate others to discover their own.

When you discover your gifts and share them with the world, you impact others. You contribute something of value, by giving something of yourself to the world around you. In return, you receive the gift of knowing you have done something positive and worthwhile with the gifts you have been given.