What are Your Gifts?

What are your gifts?

For me, it's sharing life-enhancing concepts through writing.

In the sixth grade, my teacher made a suggestion on a paper I had written. He wrote: "Nic, rather than using the phrase 'all of a sudden,' use the word, 'suddenly.'"

Click.

Light bulb.

Thanks, Mr. Hall!

A rushing wave of excitement came over me because I had been introduced to the endless possibilities writing had in store for those who would engage with it.

Words can be manipulated on paper in order to express ideas uniquely, clearly and concisely. My 12 year old self thought this was so awesome! I was hooked. From that time and on, I did well with writing, and even better in college.

Upon graduating from Mount Union, I stopped writing. Got into the world of cultural norms and attempted to mold myself into someone who would be accepted by society at large. Blah.

Although it has nothing to do with the subject matter,
here's a nice picture of snow, pine trees, and mountains.

Having been a super senior (a term for special people who need five years to attain a bachelor's degree), I graduated at the age of 23, and did not pick up writing again until the age of 28. When writing, I experience an internal sense of a gift being used and developed. My wrighting dusn't haf to be purfict (although it should be better than that phrase). Using our gifts and passions is not about perfection. It's about the sense of satisfaction we get in knowing that we are using and developing our unique interests and abilities. Many of us choose to forgo our gifts and passions, letting that piece of ourselves die a slow death. I know I did.

I didn't write for five years. During that five year period I often had an internal sense that I was wasting a fountain of joy built into me by my Creator. Thankfully, the fountain never went dry- it's never too late to pick our gifts and passions back up again, dust 'em off, and begin expressing this precious piece of ourselves once again.

If the gifts and passions you have are your gifts and passions, then they are part of you. Part of your heart, mind, and soul. The choice we have is to let those parts of us die, or to begin finding satisfaction in knowing we aren't wasting our gifts, and finding joy in the process of engaging them. Zero people may read this blog, and that's okay with me. Foundationally,  satisfaction doesn't come from the number of people who read my blog, rather, it comes from knowing I've expressed the gift residing within my heart.

Wayne Dyer once wrote a book entitled Don't Die with Your Music Still in You. Don't even read the book- just do what the title suggests.

A friend and coworker of mine who will remain nameless (this person will certainly know I'm referring to them!), is a spectacular public speaker. She can make a crowd interested in plain white chalk if she wanted to. You see, it's not about the specific words that come out of her mouth, it's about the way in which she expresses the words. She radiates enthusiasm and excitement when in front of a crowd. My observation is that it's the crowd that brings out her passion, not the specific subject matter. Just the same, it's the keyboard, blank page, and endless possibilities surrounding the process of putting ideas into words that brings out my passion in writing; not necessarily the subject matter. I choose to express thoughts about subject matters I close to my heart, but the love of writing is why I write about these subjects instead of painting, drawing, or singing about them.

I'd absolutely love to hear what your gifts and passions are, and how you'd like to begin using and further developing them. Take a moment to share what is boiling in your heart by leaving a comment below.

-Nic

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Meaning, Money, Living, and Life-Altering Questions

In his book START., Jon Acuff presents two poignant questions:

1. If I died today, what would I regret not being able to do?

2. Are these the things I'm spending time doing right now?

One of my training clients is in his sixties, and has been reflecting over his life. Being the wisdom junkie that I am, I asked him to tell me how he would live life differently if he could do it over. What experiential wisdom would he share with me, a young man in my thirties? His answer was that he wouldn't have chased money as vehemently. Instead, he would have been a craftsman, spent more time with his family, and created art work that was meaningful to him. Now, he isn't at immediate risk of death, but he is feeling the weightiness of time and energy spent on things that he now views as rather unimportant: luxury cars, high paying CEO positions, spectacular looking suits, and 70 hour work weeks.

Here is a random, yet very cool, picture of an iguana.

In the everyday busyness of life, we don't always comprehend the fact that this, right now, is our life. It won't end 1000 years from now, giving us loads of time. It will end 40, 30, or 20 years from now, give or take a couple of decades. So, what is it your soul is longing to express? Are you spending time on that very thing?

For me, it's the ideas I have within me. Over the last several years, I've attended more personal growth meetings, retreats, workshops, and weekends than I can count, and have read a library's worth of "be your best self" books. I've transformed from a judgmental Christian into a simple follower of Jesus. I've gone from hardly being able to function at work due to throat issues to developing close relationships with an array of clients. I've gone from avoiding facing my pain squarely, looking it in the eye, to someone who is utterly honest about my experience of life. A transformation such as this is no small potato experience. Millions of people live an entire life without making a shift. I long to express and share my experience of growth with others, making authentic connections along the way. What's the "thing" you long to do? How would you describe the piece of your heart and soul you long to express, but has been drowned out by the busyness of life?

Take heart, be courageous, and begin to express the longing within you!

With love, -Nic

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Attend my five hour workshop on May 14th, and you'll have the chance to deeply explore these questions with others who are on the journey. Email nicsaluppo@gmail.com.