Speaking Up & other lessons learned…
As I continued my Teleclass, Exploring Your Life's Mission, I was struck by the fact that some people didn’t seem to participate much. They paid for the class, dialed in every week, but didn’t really say much when we were asked questions or given the chance to comment. Even though I am not always the first one to speak up, I didn’t want to squander the great learning opportunity I had in front of me so I spoke up, asked questions, determined to get the most out of this Teleclass that I could. As I said in my first Blog post, I was all in!
Later, long after class was over, I was reminded that people learn differently, some by being actively engaged, asking a lot of questions, some by listening, quietly taking it all in (and many other styles in between). Another lesson learned.
In the second class, we delved into the concepts of being the student of your own life. There were three things that stuck out for me:
Your mission begins right where you are today…don’t wait until you have “enough” _____ (time, money, etc. fill in the blank).
Core Needs. These are the needs that we all have, not physical needs like food and air, but are emotional needs; those things that, if they are not met, cause us imbalance, push our buttons, make us unhappy. For example, I used to have a need to be the best at everything I did so would not even attempt things that I didn’t think I would excel at. I’ve learned enough about myself at this point to know this, so now I push myself into situations that I would normally shy away from. It’s been really rewarding, I highly recommend it!
Natural Gifts. We all have them, and they are as wide and varied as we are. The challenge, and fun, is learning what yours are and how you can apply them. To identify what you gifts are, think about the things that, when you do them, they come effortlessly to you, and you are really engaged!
To take this to the next level, ask your friends, when they think of you, what are the things they think you are great at?
If you look at your Needs, and your Gifts, you may see that you are in one of two places in life:
Your Needs are being met and you use your natural Gifts in your job/career/volunteer work/life etc. Awesome, you’re likely a pretty happy camper!
Your Needs are not being met and/or you don’t get to use your Gifts much (or at all!). Chances are, if one of both of these things is true, you’re not particularly happy and now you know why! Also awesome, because know you have awareness.
You cannot change something you’re not aware of, and so, with this new awareness, what will you change? If you want to share with me, contact me, or message me on Facebook or Twitter. I’d love to hear what comes up for you!