Give,Your,Business,Gift,You,ha DIY Give Your Business A Gift

When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in

You have permission to publish this article electronically or inprint as long as the resource box is included. Please notify meof publication by sending a website link or copy of yourpublication to [email protected] Count: 809 words, 65 characters per lineThanks,Claudette Rowley============= Give Your Business A GiftClaudette RowleyCopyright 2002"I challenge you not to get lost in your own growth - thepurpose of your transformation is to radiate your gifts in theservice of others." - Kevin CashmanWe each arrive in this world bearing a set of gifts that isuniquely ours. I invite you to take a look at gifts that don'trequire wrapping - the ones that are innately yours.How do gifts relate to entrepreneurship?Entrepreneurship is an act of capitalizing on the ways in whichwe are gifted. At its finest, entrepreneurship asks us tocapture that which we do the best, harness it and put it out intothe world in some form or fashion.I'm convinced that fully acknowledging your gifts - to yourself,first and foremost - will catapult your business and your lifeinto bold new arenas. Here's why: When you don't acknowledgeyour gift of, for example, building businesses or transforminghouses or connecting people, you hold back from full selfexpression. When you don't acknowledge your gifts, you can'tcapitalize on your innate human resources. YOU are yourbusiness' most valuable resource.What stops us from taking full advantage of our gifts?* Judgment. Judgment is the number one wet blanket. Just asyour gift starts to burn brightly, judgment comes along andthrows a heavy blanket over the flame. In our world, it'sperfectly acceptable to wax at length about our failings,misfortunes and weaknesses. We rarely speak openly about ourgifts and accomplishments without qualifying them. "Well, Iguess I am an okay painter. But it's just a little hobby, andBetsy is much better."We are taught not to "brag". How did telling the truth aboutoneself become the equivalent of bragging? And because we are soafraid of being "full of ourselves", we don't even admit thesignificance of our gifts to ourselves.Judgment can also surface in the form of rules about yourtalents. For example, "I am gifted in this way, but not in thatway. I should be gifted in that way." "Well, I do have a gift,but it's not good enough." As if some gifts are legitimate andsome aren't. Environment can also play a big part in theperception of your gift's legitimacy. In some families, being atalented businessperson is honored and being of an artistic bentisn't. In some families, the reverse is true.* Lack of recognition. Some gifts are overlooked because theyaren't tangible the way music or writing can be heard and seen.We sometimes assume that a gift must be a form of externalbrilliance like that of a composer like Mozart or a painter likePicasso. Maybe your form of brilliance is the impeccable balanceyou keep in your life, maybe it's a spiritual relationship you'vedeveloped or maybe it's your ability to manage people in a waythat inspires them to be their best.Other times, gifts are overlooked simply because they come sonaturally. I've often heard people who are, for example, giftednetworkers or natural musicians downplay their gifts by saying,"Oh, it's just this thing that I do." Notice the next timesomeone compliments you, and you respond with the equivalent of"Oh, it's just that thing that I do." How could you responddifferently?Sometimes we assume that in order for something to be a gift, and to be worthwhile, it requires hard work. Actually, the reverse is true. A gift begins as a form of ease. A gift beginsto feel hard when we judge it and don't honor it for what it is.What do you do most naturally? Get a good sense of your gifts. Ask trusted colleagues and friends for feedback about your gifts, both tangible and non-tangible. How do you use these gifts in your business right now? How would your business change if you fully honored and incorporated your gifts? It's extremely easy to overlook our own gifts and take them forgranted. Do you have the gift of gab? Do you have the gift ofturning nothing into something - in other words, the gift oftransformation? Each one of us possesses a multitude of gifts,large and small. In order to enhance your business success andlife fulfillment, make sure you know what yours are.You are the biggest resource your business has. Give yourself thegift of profound self-acceptance. Explore your gifts.Acknowledge and accept them. And watch the miracles of yourseason unfold.------------------------------------------------------------------Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionalsidentify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life.Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-676-5633or [email protected]. Sign up for her free newsletter"Insights for the Savvy" at http://www.metavoice.org. Article Tags: It's Just