What are your gifts or your talents? Have you gone through your spiritual gifts inventory and your natural gift inventory? Well if you haven't, now is the time. The economy is doing its own thing. We have no control over it. Family will still deal with the same issues until they get connected to God's word and pray for change. Corporate America will still operate with its same rules and unless you are willing to make personal sacrifices to move forward. Gas prices will soar or drop a few pennies, but we still have to drive.
With everything else going on, have you thought about what you can do to control your destiny? Do you know what gifts God has given you? Do you know how to stir up those gifts and use them? For years, I worked in Information Technology as a web developer, programmer and business analyst. Yet, I always found myself training people how to do things. It was a hidden talent that always peaked out regardless of whatever role I was in. So I started a training and web development company. I love teaching Math and tutoring, so I started teaching at the University of Phoenix. Now, that I have a niche teaching Mathematics, I’m marketing that gift to other institutions that need Math instructors, more money coming from different avenues. Then, I found that I like writing as well. I like putting words on paper and organizing my thoughts, another hidden gift that I had suppressed. So I put my words on paper and wrote a book. So now, I know how to go through this, I am writing more books now.
What gifts are you suppressing? Do you know what else you can do? The “else” is what I want you to explore this week. Pull out your paper and your pen. It's time to multiply! In this economy, we need to learn how to multiply. So how do you multiply? Well anything times is 0 is what, 0. So you if don’t sow anything, you don’t’ get anything. Anything times 1 is that number. 1 X 5 = 5. You end up with the same 5. Many of us are ending up with the same 5. We are wondering, why I am getting the same 5 or the same thing that I put in. Well, you need to start increasing your multiples. Look at what happens when you multiply something but 2, it doubles, 3, it triples. Get the picture. So it’s time to put in more so you can reap more. It’s also a biblical principle as well. God said He would multiply what we sow. But you don’t want to just sow into anything. My college communications instructor used to say, “Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan”. Get a plan of action together. Sow into the gifts God has given you, those are the gifts that you will get a sure return.
Step 1) Do a Spiritual Gifts Analysis to see what spiritual gifts God has given you.
http://www.buildingchurch.net/g2s-i.htm Step 2) Write down your natural gifts. What are you great at? God gave you these gifts as well. Some things He also developed in you. Tap into those as well. What would you get up and do everyday without compensation?
Step 3) What unique knowledge do you have that you can share with others? - This will make you a SME or Subject Matter Expert. You can sell your knowledge. I do it all the time. Showing folks how to blog, create websites, use software, teach Math, etc.
Step 4) Plan Your Work! Work Your Plan! Put a plan of action together for each gift. Do one thing at a time, and get that going. Then stir up your next gift and get that going. You should have a ripple effect going.
Step 5) Maintenance – Maintain your gifts and continue to invest in your gifts through networking, classes, more education. The ripple effect will start fast and then slow down. This is your maintenance mode. Start the ripples up again by revisiting your gifts or business and tweaking some things.
Step 6) Regroup – Sometimes, you have to regroup and ask God how I reposition myself. One of my friends told me, ask God how you can repackage what you are already doing. What you have may be a good start, but you may have to repackage it. I’m in the process of doing this now with my book. There are individual chapters that are good talking points; I need to get that out in the fore front.
So, this week, explore those unused or dormant gifts. This will start to produce income. Yes, income. When one gift or talent dries up, it doesn’t matter because you have been sowing seeds into your other gifts and you will be reaping for those to from your ripple effect. Sow sparingly, reap sparing, sow bountifully, and reap bountifully. Just tap into the gifts that God has given you. Diversify your talents. You may not use them all at once, but gradually. As we grow in age, we also grow in wisdom. It’s time to stir up all of gifts and reap all of the rewards that God has given us. We are blessing others when we do. It’s not about us but those God whom God has called us to. He said in Deuteronomy, He gives us the power to get wealth. You’ve got the power and creativity so use it!
Freya Williams
Founder, The Teknowlogy Factory
“Building Knowledge One Byte at a Time”
Posted By: Freya Sullivan Williams
Tuesday, September 16th 2008 at 9:59AM
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