– Steve Harvey
Are you human? Please know that you have priceless, inherent worth! Let’s say that again slowly in our minds – PRICELESS. INHERENT. WORTH! Nothing can take that fact away, even if someone says differently or perhaps you don’t yet know that for yourself. I’m going to show you; and you, in turn, will show yourself!
Roots of the Word “GIFT”
The words “give” and “gift” are derived from the Old English root giefan (West Saxon), meaning “to bestow, deliver to another, give; allot, grant; devote, entrust, commit.” I think it is instructive to note also that the PIE (Prot-Indo-European) root ghabh means “to give OR receive.” Giving is always something that also involves a receiving – as we will discuss.
Can You Imagine if Everybody Had the Same Gifts?
What if we were all good at 3 things: cooking, playing guitar and listening? Well, I think it’s safe to say that the world might be more peaceful if those were the 3 gifts everyone had. It is also very clear that the richness of the world in which we actually live is found in the differing gifts that exist. The fact that one person might have a gift for music and another for leadership and another for math or languages or science all speaks to the interdependence mindset we ought to possess with each other.
“The Go-Giver”
I recently listened to an audio book called “The Go-Giver”. The idea behind this book is to always be operating from a place of giving and service. When we seek only money as a final goal, for example, it becomes rather elusive. The value we need to contribute to the world around us is the means by which we get the things we need and want in return.
One of the key takeaways that I got from this book was an analogy that was shared with the main character. The idea was that everything we give brings with it a receiving as well. Just as Isaac Newton declared that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, the same is true when we humans and other mammals breathe oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide gives life to the trees and plants who, in turn, produce more oxygen for us – and that constant back-and-forth sustains life on both ends of the proverbial transaction. For every giving, there is also a receiving! This is why we highlighted the root ghabh as meaning “to give OR receive.”
You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.
– Zig Ziglar
Everybody Has Gifts!
We all have some fundamental gifts in common. Our very lives are a gift from our forebears, including our parents. And, understanding our own gifts starts with a realistic comprehension of the depth of gratitude we must possess for so many things we have and enjoy that we didn’t have to do anything to receive! From the air we breathe, as mentioned above, to our beating hearts and the other aspects of our lives that bring us joy, each of us have much to be grateful for regardless of our current station in life.
That gratitude is the fertile soil of nurturing and growing our gifts. Once that gratitude is consistently in place, we are ready to dig deep and find, plant and nurture our gifts to build upon them and contribute positively to our ripple effect in the world around us.
Keys to Understanding Our Gifts:
- Ask yourself: What interests and passions have you had throughout your life?
When you find the things you could do obsessively and even lose track of time, you are on the right track!
- Ask your friends and family what they observe?
The people closest to us tend to see a lot about what we do well – and perhaps what we don’t! Take this information to heart and apply it as you narrow down your focus.
- Take a personality test!
This is something that is so crucial because knowing the driving forces of being an extrovert or introvert and other key personality traits will help you understand how to best share your gift with the world.
Please don’t give in to the delusion that your life is meaningless because, as we say in our podcast in just about every episode, YOU ARE PRICELESS! Each and every person’s existence has a ripple effect in the universe, and I think most of us would agree that we want that effect to be a positive one. The best way to have the most positive impact is to find, understand and develop our gifts!
You matter in more ways and with a depth that you cannot even imagine! Tell yourself that truth as part of a greater set of daily affirmations that you read out loud, perhaps into a mirror, as you shift your thinking from what much of the world would have all of us believe. I am confident in saying that we each have gifts and they are meant to be shared. In so doing, we engage in the perpetual process of light, growth, giving and receiving that gives a deeper, more personal purpose and meaning to our lives!
Get more on this topic from podcast episode 12: “Your Gift: The Key to Your Best Life!”
