"Finding Your Gift": part 3

This final part of the article focuses on how to find your passion and your values. The life coach explains that what we were interested in at a young age often reveals our passion(s). For instance, for me, I would often be found teaching my stuffed animals. When I became a teenager, I began to teach kids at church. At around that same time, I would also love to acquire knowledge and to research. I would study natural healing and ways to reduce physical suffering in the world or solve problems. (This sounds like a big deal now that I write this but I never really thought of it that way! it was just normal.) Even as I got older, the thought of researching for a company was definitely something that thrilled me. I also loved music. However, teaching was a gift others saw most visibly in me--so I ended up pursuing an education degree. In college I also pursued a music minor for a while, as others saw a gift in me there as well. Eventually I switched minors because theory was hard to understand and learning it killed the purpose of music for me, which was to just feel it, to let it seep out of me--no rules, no boundaries.

Today I still love to research and do that as a way to help others. I've been able to use my study of the brain, learning disabilities, and natural healing to help mothers of the students I tutor discover what learning issues their child has and offer them natural approaches (diet changes, supplements, etc.) to help their disabilities. This is very fulfilling to me as I get to do three things I love--teach, acquire knowledge and help. Besides doing these three things I love, I also am able to pursue my love of music by songwriting and teaching lessons. I can teach the lessons exactly as I want--with theory added only as it becomes relevant. I am a feeler. I even speak in that language. I often use words that paint a certain picture for me but that aren't textbook definitions. I will also speak in pictures. (My husband speaks a literal textbook definition language so it's hard for us to communicate sometimes.) Anyway, my point is that music allows me to speak my language easily, freely, and fully. Just start delving into what you are interested in--what you love or have loved in the past. If this is hard to do because you work all the time and have little free time or energy when you do, then try as hard as you can to somehow make it a possible to explore more. Maybe get a different job that allows more free time or something. Finding your gifts and passions are just too important to ignore!

The life coach in this story, goes on to explain to his client how she can find what she really values. He suggests that she think of someone who has left a deep impression on her. I think that's a great idea! That has helped me in the past as well. I acquired a friend while living in Korea whose personality I really loved--like she excited me by who she was! As I pondered why, I realized that I really valued the authenticity, the honesty that I saw in her. How would that play into finding my gift or doing what I love? Well it just helped me to know what jobs I would NOT do well with. Like I hate jobs where I have to be socially polite, where I don't get to the depth of issues, where I have to strike up fluffy conversation about nothingness, for a job that I don't care about. So being a waitress or working at Hallmark or some fluffy kind of shop like that, was like someone rubbing me with sandpaper. We hate certain jobs for a reason!

Ok enough of my blabber and on with the article!

Recognizing Your Passion

"Often we can find our passion by recalling our earliest interests, what we were naturally drawn to. 'What did you want to be when you grew up?' the coach asked Susan.

She grew quiet for a bit. 'When I was a little girl', she finally answered, 'I remember reading every book I could find on wildlife. I used to say I was going to be a veterinarian when I grew up. I was crazy about animals, but I didn't love the thought of operating on them. So maybe I didn't really want to be a vet. But I did love watching spiders build webs on our back porch. Or birds take off in flight. I loved the outdoors. I loved hiking. Still do. But you know, as I'm sitting here thinking about it with you, I guess it's not just about the nature. I love watching people too. It's part of what I adore about being in the city on my lunch hour—just watching people and how they interact.'

'I guess it's trying to understand what exactly is going on. Trying to figure out what they're doing and where they're going, trying to predict how they'll act if a certain circumstance is presented.' Susan was identifying a passion for learning that carried over to a joy in traveling and reading about animals, people and various cultures. She enjoyed sharing her knowledge with others, drawing her daughter and close friends into her interests. If Susan's work was to be aligned with who she really was, learning would have to be a central focus. But her passion for learning was just a single part of the three-part equation. For Susan to unwrap her gift, she would need to discover her values and strengths as well."

 Knowing Your Values

"'Is there anyone you've studied about or met who has left a deep impression on you?' the coach asked Susan.

'I know it sounds odd, but I would have to say Gandhi. Not for the reasons that you might think, though, like his belief in nonviolence. It's because he understood who he was and stood up for himself and what he cared about. You couldn't push him around. Deep down, where it mattered, he stood his ground. He said what was true, without any pretense, no matter what the consequences. He was from the spirit, from the soul. He was authentic.'

'And authenticity is what you value?' the coach asked.

'Well, of course,' Susan responded with conviction. 'If you can't be who you really are, then you're just pretending to live your life. You have to be able to honestly express what you believe—in your words and actions. Gandhi knew this. He was the genuine article.'

Just as Michelangelo saw David within the stone, your unique gift is inside you, waiting to be revealed."

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Finding-Your-Gift/5