Lesson #9: Share your gifts with the world

Each of us is unique, and we came into this world having different natural gifts and capabilities. The essential questions we should answer: do we even know how gifted we are, and are we doing something with these gifts?

We have to understand the difference between the type of activity we choose to do, and the natural talents we were gifted with. For some people, the two are coinciding, yet probably for the majority of people these two are worlds apart, and are a source of misery.

Why the discrepancy? How we grew up made the difference. The discovery of our natural flair starts in our childhood. Some parents were supportive and offered their children the time and space to discover themselves. Also, because the family had the means, they exposed their children to different things to help them find their inclinations.

Other parents instilled in their children what they thought would prepare them better to survive. Because they went through hardships in their life, and because they wanted their kids to do better, they told their children what direction to take. Unfortunately, in the last decades, our society focused more on economics instead of our well-being.

My case is no exception, as from an early age I had to be responsible as an adult. My parents were always working, so we, the kids, had to carry all the households’ chores. By the time they would come home, the house was clean, food was on the table, animals fed, and everything was done. Everyone in the house had to do his or her part for our family’s well-being.

At the age of 14, I went to a boarding school to become a chemist. In my mom’s eyes, a woman working in a lab and wearing a white coat was a super job. And she was right, I loved it, but I did that work only for three months. They needed me in the administration department, so I was transferred.

A few years later, I left and moved to the capital to start working in the hospitality industry. After nine years, I moved to the US, and I was forced to change fields again, going into IT, then into Consulting. My point is: regardless of the field I was in, I noticed one constant – being of service to others.

I had this realization only a few years ago, when I finally took a break from the madness I was in, career, school, etc., and contemplated on my life. I spent time with myself, and I looked deep inside for answers. My life completely changed after coming off autopilot and taking charge of everything in my life.

When we see someone doing what his or her natural tendency is, we say how lucky that person is. We should not stop there. We should also take the next step and discover what our gifts are, even if it takes time, trials, and errors. Everything we do has an impact. Therefore, it is worth it for us, and everyone around us.

Eckhart Tolle said, “You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold. That is how important you are!” Consequently, once we found our gifts, turning them into our careers is crucial for our inner wellbeing. By sharing them with the world, whether verbally or through music, writing, painting, dancing, etc. our lives will change, and happiness becomes the norm.