Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.

Wayne Dyer

1. What am I (reasonably) good at?

Let’s start by making a list of the skills or talents you have. Think about what you do
reasonably well. I say reasonably because you don’t have to be a superstar in that skill or talent – just something you feel you do well.

Ask your friends and family members to help you on this question. What do they
think you do reasonably well?

What about your colleagues where you work or volunteer? What do they think you do reasonably well?

There are many books available at the library and online that outline skills, talents,
and strengths. Check them out and see if it prompts any new ideas to express what you are good at.

Make as long a list as you can with your skills/talents, what you believe you do well.

2. What about my life highlights?

Think about the moments in your life that stand out as being particularly successful.
When did you feel good about something you accomplished?

Thinking back on those times, what were you DOING that led to those successes? What skills did you use?

Often you can take a look at a series of high points and begin to see a “pattern” of things that were common to them.

I did this with the three different career choices that I have made in my life. As I
looked at what I was doing for each career and what I most enjoyed about each one,
a clear pattern emerged for me. In each case I was involved with helping others adopt a new perspective on something – seeing the world differently so that it opened up new opportunities.

Add these skills to your list.

3. If you could spend a day doing something that would be very meaningful to you, what would you do?

Let this be your “dream day,” with no obligations, no one judging you, no one telling you what to do, and no constraints of time and money.

What would cause you to jump out of bed in the morning because you knew you would be doing this?

Add these actions to your list of skills. 

4. Prioritize your list.

I hope that you have a very long list of skills and talents that you have gathered over
your life. I’ve thrown together below a list of gifts to consider, in case you are having trouble getting started.

Unless you narrow down that list, it will be too much for you to think about. You will not be able to focus your thinking.

The next step is to prioritize your list – getting it down to what you feel are the top 1-2 skills/talents you have. This will not be an easy task.

The criterion for prioritizing is simple:

How energized do you feel when using these skills/talents? Do these skills make you feel alive? Which of them do you LOVE to do?

Your Gift from God is the activity or behavior that you LOVE to do. Doing it gives you a sense of joy, challenge, and energy. Many things we do drain our energy but using our gift tends to give us energy. Energy is vitality and vitality is life.

Your gift is life-giving. It is a gift from God. Thank God for it.

Doug Bate
Service Central