Never underestimate how gifted you are. Gifts come in all shapes and sizes. If you ask most people who they consider gifted, they would name someone like LeBron James, Beyoncé, or Mark Zuckerberg.
The fact is, we all have gifts. I remember meeting this guy at a hospital who went on for an hour bragging about how many toilets he could clean. He knew everything there was to know about cleaning toilets. He knew the brushes, the cleaners and every brand and bowl. He had a passion for what most people would look down on. It sounds crazy, but he had a gift for cleaning toilets! I’m sure people gave him a lot of S**t for it, but that’s ok. He specializes in S**t.
Even having nice hands can be a gift. Remember that episode of Seinfeld when George Costanza got that job as a hand model? It’s not just pretty hands, it can be the steady hands needed to be a surgeon or strong hands to be an auto mechanic.
Anyway, you may not be able to dunk a basketball or sing outside of the shower, but you do have a gift. Some people have a gift with numbers. They might go into finance or accounting. Some have a gift for helping people. They may choose social work or become a nurse. Some people are beautiful and become models, but don’t forget the beautician who makes people beautiful. Both are gifts. We all know for a fact that not everyone can do hair, even if they have a license. So, yes some have a gift for hair and some don’t.
The same applies to cooking. Some people just have that special touch when it comes to food. There is even a gift for eating food. Just watch Joey Chestnut eat a record-breaking, 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes at the 2018 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Buns included! Again, gifts come in many sizes and shapes, including big stomachs.
For some people, “discipline” is their gift. They are on time, on point, extremely thorough and get things done. Some people have a gift for leadership. Sure, you have heard of people like MLK, Gandhi, or George Washington. However, sometimes leadership shows up in everyday forms like a school principal or a police chief. It might be a restaurant manager, a journalist, or little league soccer coach. Who can juggle six schedules and scream orders while cleaning up throw up? That is a certain type of leader called a stay-at-home mom!
Some people have a gift for running their mouth, meaning they like to talk. They really like to talk. They might become a reporter, a minister, or just annoying! The key is to match the gift up with a skill. If you talk too much, look into a career in radio or something. Being a “talker” is a gift.
Again, having a gift isn’t enough. You have to marry it with some type of skill to make a living off of it. If you like to fix things, get a trade license or become an engineer. If you like working with kids, get your teaching certificate or license to start a daycare. If you are a writer, teach yourself how to write a screenplay, a news story, or song. At the very least learn Microsoft Word Lol. Gifts can be very lucrative when matched with the right skills.
Sometimes we get in the habit of looking at what other people have a knack for and start getting all envious and jealous. The fact is, we all have that special something about each of us that we really have to appreciate. Stop looking at what everyone else can do and get out a piece of paper. Jot down your gifts and talents. If you don’t think you have any, ask a few people you trust what they think you are good at. You will discover you are a lot more talented than you realized. Take that talent and match it up with a skill. Don’t underestimate what people consider boring or unpopular gifts. Like I said, that guy I met at the hospital was crazy about cleaning toilets. What are you crazy about?
References
Seinfeld “hand model” Clip
Hot Dog Eating Contest Clip
