Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present
People see you positively or negatively a hands-on parent, a successful executive, a stubborn team member, an idol in your area of expertise, a multi-awarded artist, a corrupt public official, a credit-grabber boss, or a be-medaled athlete. The way people brand you is a byproduct of your life experiences, how you relate with people and how you deliberately or not project yourself. What you have is a whole journey that is shaped and led by the way you manage all the influences that make you better or worse. The absolute critical part of this whole journey is how you identify your gift. You and everyone else are born with a gift, and that gift can never be taken away from you. You need only to connect to it, grow it, nurture it, and fasten it to the appropriate mover, exploiting it in every facet of your existence.
In the book Act Like A Success Think Like A Success, bestselling author and talk show host Steve Harvey says, “Identifying your gift is the first thing you should do. So many people spend their life in a rut, spinning their wheels because they keep pursuing passions and not their God-given gift. God never created a living soul that he didn’t give a gift to. It’s all right there black and white. There’s no figuring this out. You can’t figure your life out. You can go along with the life that was planned for you and created for you. That life right there is far better than any life you could imagine for yourself. You can’t think of a better life than the one he created you for.”
The tome tells you how to achieve your dreams using the gift you already have. Harvey shows how that gift binds your maximum opportunity to achieve success, and the realization of your life’s mission and purpose. He presents a set of principles to help you in your journey, and below are my choice cuts.
Run toward your destiny. Too often you focus on the cons before you even consider a pro. You can’t even think about the benefits of taking on your dream because you’re too busy focusing on the “what if,” the “what could be,” and the “why it won’t work for me” excuses. You’re willing to waste years of your life walking away from your dreams instead of dashing en route to your future.
Replace self-defeating conversations with yourself. “I’m not smart enough to do that,” “It’s too hard to do that,” and “It’s too late for me to get out there and do it” are just a few examples of negative or pessimistic statements that you should avoid making, or repeatedly planting in your mind. Adopt a new song to sing about for your life and your dreams. You can start out small, by saying short affirmations: “I was born to do this,” “God has a plan for me,” or “My dreams can become my reality.”
Don’t be incarcerated in the prison of your mind. Believe that there is always a new day breaking for you. If you’re still waking up every day, it’s because God has a greater plan for you and it’s not yet completed. Every day is an opportunity to see your light as a gift. You have opportunities that are presented to you on a daily basis, and these opportunities show up in the people you meet, the invitations you receive, or the information shared with you. Your response to these choices can determine the quality of your life.
Serve it may be your gift. The whole notion of “gift” can be challenging. You have been conditioned to care more about jobs and titles. Your gift is not the job you have that you think is better than everyone else’s. You may have plenty of friends who are making millions and hate what they do because they are using their talents, not their gift. Your gift is something that is connected to you whether you are working or vacationing, whether you’re with the family or even all alone. Your gift cannot be taken because of downsizing or given to you because someone creates a job description. Your gift could be something that you do on a volunteer basis to serve your community. If serving brings you pleasure, you’re already rewarded by the joy it brings into your life.
Put your gift in the right vehicle. Once you have identified your gift, you need to look around you to discover the right medium that will give you the transportation you need to navigate your journey and advance you into your future. As you begin to search for the right platforms for your gift, you will realize that they’re everywhere around you. The people who are truly successful use the carrier that’s right for today to work toward the next upgrade that will lead to an even higher rung of success.
Believe you can have it. God bestowed upon you a gift and placed in you a vision for your gift that does not harm others, because he wants you to have your heart’s desire. Don’t limit your vision because you don’t think you’re in the right place or know the right people. The greatest thing about creating your vision is that it is as expansive as your imagination. Even if you had a past filled with failure, you can create a new vision now.
Avoid people who are always having a bad day, have to be right all of the time and those who procrastinate. In the minds of the first personality type, nothing ever works in their favor. They have a chronic “woe is me” campaign that they continue to launch full blast. This kind of negativity depletes enthusiasm. You don’t need the woe-is-me speech every day. People in the second personality type go out of their way to be right, but not necessarily correct. They won’t be able to bring you where you want to go. Procrastinators will weigh you down. Action is the prescription for moving forward. It will eliminate boredom. Live your life surrounded by people who are like-minded, service-oriented and grateful people who are trying to accomplish things, and who bring something to the table.
Ask for what you want. There are no self-made men. You need others around you for inspiration and motivation. And at some point, you will also need them for material resources or advice. Whatever the case, you need to be bold enough to ask. It’s okay to sit and brainstorm with like-minded people and share what is going on with you. Just the mere fact of your striking up a conversation could be the thing they have been waiting for.
Maximize your experiences. Diversifying your gifts also means knowing how to use other occurrences in your life. The more open you are, the faster you will realize your dreams. An expansive vision is necessary when reaching for your life’s possibilities. You can’t allow small-mindedness to interfere with your rewards. Step outside your comfort zone and try something new, something adventuresome, when utilizing you gift. The Bible says, “I’ve come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Earn the power of the 5 E’s by saying “no.” Naysaying gives you the “Energy” to focus on the things in your life that move you closer to your destiny, it offers you strength to manage your “Ego,” it provides you the “Empowerment” to let someone else shine, the power to end “Enabling” and stop you from saying yes all the time and gives you the power to “steal away” your “Enemy,” instead of them using your gift to their advantage. Maximizing these powers will help you avoid all kinds of situations that take you further and further off the path to your success.
Protect your home base. The word “home” takes on a different meaning for everyone. Your home could be the immediate family who lives under your roof, or your home could be your close circle of friends who are just like brothers and sisters to you. But whoever gets to reap the benefits of your success, you have to make sure that you’re investing the appropriate time and energy into the people who are most important to you. Why? The answer is obvious: by the ways they enrich your life.
“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present,” American cartoonist Bil Keane declares. Use your gift to help yourself so you can help others. God isn’t going to just unlock the gate of opportunity to use your gift if you’re not doing your part to use and share your gift whenever you can.
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Act Like A Success Think Like A Success is available at National Book Store.
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