Using Talents

Using talents given to us is essential to making the world a better place. Trying to find a way to use your talents can be difficult and sometimes even overwhelming. Maybe you’re good at a lot of things or maybe your good at just one thing but it can be used for many different things. Using talents is essential in making the world a better place. At times, it’s easy to blame God for the world’s problems, but He did all He needed to, which was to create people with many different skills, passions and goals. When you look around at the world, you can see many things need to be done, gaps that need to be filled and it’s because people are not stepping up to fill those gifts with their talents. It’s up to us to take those talents to create a better world and help each other. Otherwise what’s the point?

If our talents are wasted away, either not being used at all or just going to help ourselves then we’ve missed the entire point of what life is all about.

We have a responsibility to ourselves and to others to use our talents. So we need to ask ourselves:

• Where am I making a contribution?
• How am I benefiting others?
• What am I doing with my talents?

Where am I making a contribution?

To find this, just sit down at the table and right down a list of everything you are good at, what comes naturally and what gets you excited.

Examples might be:

• I like to run
• I’m good at organizing things and people
• I love to encourage others
• I have a good sense of humor with an extra dose of sarcasm
• I love to write
• I love to go shopping

What am I Doing With My Talents?

So now that you have a list of things you’re good at, you have to make a list of things you’re already doing to help others. I encourage to look beyond your family and beyond your daily job, even if you’re job is at a non-profit or somewhere else helping others. These things are both great, but at the end of the day, it’s about what are you doing that you’re not obligated to do or getting something in return to do. I realize that we’re all tired and we think there isn’t another thing we could take on, but the funny thing is that using talents, something you’re naturally good at, can be rejuvenating and infectious. I encourage you to try it for just a month and see, if it has changed your perspective.

How Am I Benefiting Others?

Now that you have a list of things you’re good at and how you are currently using those talents, you need to make sure you are using those talents to not only get paid or for inward satisfaction, but to make sure you are helping others around you. Try to look for needs in your community and how your talents can help fill them.

For instance, I love animals and through my work at a local vet, I discovered that I love to feed baby animals that don’t have a mom to feed them. So there is a local non-profit called Tiny Paws, and it turns out they need bottle feeders and cleaners for the summer. What a coincidence because I happen to love doing that.

If you love to run, why not contribute to a cause or charity? If you love to organize, why not take a trip down to your local food bank and help organize some of their shelves? You don’t need to have an event to encourage others, but even if you’re walking down the street, just smile and say nice things to people from time to time. The world NEEDS more encouragers, people who can help others recognize their talents. We all know what to do with a good sense of humor. If you love to go shopping, maybe use some of that time and money to spend on helping a local charity buy supplies, or buy a homeless person something new to wear for a job interview.

The possibilities are endless for helping others. So let’s get out there and help those who need it!