30 Ways to begin Identifying and Embodying your Gifts (in no particular order)
1. At the end of each day, ask yourself. “Where did I have the most fun today?”
2. Set yourself up to succeed by eating well, sleeping well, and grounding into a spiritual daily practice.
3. Go out on a wander, into wild spaces, and ask the landscape, “What do you see as my gifts?” Pay attention to all things on that walk. They all hold answers.
4. Track the gifts other others. Begin paying close attention to the people in your life and when they are lit up, alive, animated, and are radiant. When you track the Gift in others, you’ll be able to see it in yourself.
5. Ask 10 friends and family members what they see in you as your gifts. Make the invitation into the request a heart-opening one. Let them know what its like living without truly knowing what your gifts are. Let them feel the weight of what you’re asking and how grateful you are for their sight into your life.
6. At the end of each day, ask yourself, “What did I want to do/say today that I didn’t because I was scared?” Answer with at least 3 things.
7. At the end of each day, ask yourself “If I were do to today again tomorrow and I wanted to make it 10 times more enjoyable, what would I do differently?”
8. When someone compliments you or your work, ask them what specifically they are appreciating. Tell them, “Thank you so much and right now I am actively trying to figure out what my greatest gifts are. What did you experience in me, or from me, that you found complimentary?”
9. Make a list of the things you’re good at that seemingly no one ever taught you to do.
10. Make a list of all the things that drain your energy.
11. Make a list of all the relationships that fill you with life and bring you into a way of being yourself that you love.
12. How are you starting your day? Dream into your ideal start each day and implement the easiest piece of that ideal for one week. If that’s too much, spend 2 minutes each morning feeling and believing you just completed an element of that dream start.
13. What writers, poets, teachers, essayists, podcasters, etc are living lives closely connected to their gifts? Go in a little deeper this week into one of these souls.
14. What part of your day are you most alive in, most enthusiastic in, most excited by being yourself in?
15. If you had to stretch that part of your day out a little longer in each direction, what might you do to ensure you stayed radiant and vibrant and enjoying yourself a little longer?
16. Are there any plants or animals that you associate with as beings 100% committed to giving their gifts in this world? List 3 plants and 3 animals. At least. And then, pay attention to whether or not these beings cross your path this week. In real life or on the news or in a book or as you journal. If so, consider deepening your relationship with one. Get a book out from the library. Go into their habitat with a gift. Learn how to say their names in different languages. Make up a dance that embodies their movements and grace. Get weird with it. Show your willingness to honor life living out its gifts.
17. Share your gratitude generously for the blessings in your life.
18. Make a list of 3 columns. Column A: Blessings. Column B: Not Yet Blessings. Column C: It would be a miracle if these turned into blessings.
19. Write out your gratitude for all of Column A. Write out imaginings for how Column B and C is turning into blessings. Write them out.
20. Feel and believe that each imagining is on its way, is metamorphosing into a blessing, is on its way to bless you abundantly. And feel it.
21. Make an altar in your house or in your yard or in the forest that you bring gifts to. Gifts of words. Gifts of song. Gifts of your devotion. Let the universe know you are in the business of Gifts. You tend to them. Yours and the worlds. And that you want to know and embody yours. Ever more fully every day.
22. Make a list of the gifts that you dream you had.
23. For each one, write out how you have elements of that gift already and give examples.
24. For each one, write out how you might encourage that gift to express in your life more fully.
25. For each one, imagine into living and expressing that gift regularly and in what scenarios, and the feelings associated with embodying this gift. Feel it and be thankful for it.
26. Get up early and write you gifts a letter. Watch the sunrise as you do it. Tell them about yourself and the dreams you have and how they’d be perfect for the adventure to come. Let them know there’s a grand adventure awaiting and you’re assembling your team. And you need them. Need them. Need them. To join. And tell them about how much fun it will be. How exhilarating. How life will feel when you are all together. Write them this letter. You don’t even have to be able to articulate what the gifts are. You can just address them as Gifts. Take that letter and place it on your altar. Draw the plant or animal on it that represents gifts fully expressed. Read the letter. Daily.
27. Respond back to this letter from the perspective of Your Gifts. Let yourself know we’ve been tracking you and your new found focus and energy and vibrancy. We’re coming for you. We’re coming to be on this adventure for you. Let the Gifts tell you what kinds of things they see in your life that is really inviting to them. And let these Gifts tell you what kinds of things they see in your life that slow their arrival down. Write. Find out. And read this letter. Daily.
28. Make a list of the people in your life that live and express their gifts in visible and powerful ways. Ask them about their process. How did they get to know their gifts? What did they have to overcome to give their gifts? And what has been supportive to them in the ongoing commitment to give of themselves more freely and vibrantly.
29. Go out and buy a “gift shirt” or “gift earrings” or a “gift bracelet.” Wear it when you want to remind yourself of what you’re calling in. And adorn yourself in this article as much as you can when doing any of these exercises.
30. Make a chart with 4 columns. Column A: The Gifts I am Calling In. Column B: The Risks associated with Stepping into these Gifts. Column C: The Beliefs I Hold about Myself and the World associated with these Risks. Column D: What Belief would I have to hold about myself and the world in order to ensure the embodiment of these gifts.