What is your unique gift?

I know a lot of people who are searching to understand their purpose and identify the gift that is uniquely theirs to express in the world. Sometimes this journey can be frustrating and painful, leading us to the point where we begin to question whether we will ever know our purpose.

What if we simply take comfort in knowing that there is something that is uniquely ours to give? And what if knowing that is all that matters? It might allow us to move through our days and our lives with less judgment toward ourselves. Wouldn’t it be easier to know that every single thing that you do or experience is in service to your expression of your unique gift? Everything that happens is necessary for you to bring about the nuances of your uniqueness.

The reality is that we couldn’t be who we are now if we hadn’t been who we were then. And we can’t give our gift if we aren’t who we are now and even who we are becoming. It is all perfect. All of it. Every single piece. From the burnt dinner to the spot on your sweater that makes you feel compassion rather than judgment for someone else who has a spot on their sweater. From the 5-minute rant about how your television provider has called for the 10th time to find out why you canceled your service to the wiping away of a tear from the face of a child. Or from the face of an adult. Or from your own face.

All of it… every part is good. And when we appreciate all the parts of us, we open ourselves to appreciate all the parts of others. When we do that, the world changes, and it changes radically. Breath by breath. Action by action. Thought by thought. Touch by touch. Every single energetic impulse changes the course of the world. And every single energetic impulse begins inside of us.

So, don’t spend any more time wondering if some day you will change the world. You already have. And you do, and you will. Always. With every thought you think. Know that when you think your thoughts with the intention of bringing love and light and goodness to the world, it makes a difference. Know that when you focus your attention on bringing your uniqueness into the world in its fullest measure, that’s exactly what comes through.

Every fear you work through is a fear someone else can work through more easily because you have already done it once. Every baby step you take is a baby step someone else can take also. Every time you forgive someone, it is easier for someone else to forgive. And when you play big in the world, it lets everyone else know that it’s ok for them to play big.

And when all of the things that you do are put together, they form the gift of you.

Thank you for your gift. Now, would you like to super-size that?

Judgment

The interesting thing about judgment is that when we judge that it’s a bad thing, we’ve lost the point! Judgment is simply making a decision whether something is good or bad or scary or safe based on some sort of historical information.

Tony Robbins says “the past does not equal the future.” Thank goodness, this is true. It enables us to change and to become more of our authentic selves. When we know better, we can do better. If we base our understanding of the present only on what we know about the past, we are surely limiting ourselves and the world. When we let go of what we know and look at things more as possibilities, we set the stage for miracles to happen.

We can deceive ourselves by believing that if we keep everything the same, we will be safe. The fallacy of that is that when everything around us is changing, we are not safe by not changing with it. Our desire to rest on our past achievements will certainly put us in a situation where eventually we are forced to change.

Judgment isn’t bad, but it is limiting. As soon as we judge something, we have limited what it can become because we’ve energetically put boundaries on it. Whether good or bad judgments, each has the ability to prevent us from seeing the truth of a situation, person, place or thing. Our best bet is to simply experience situations, people, places and things as they are. Doing this enables us to experience all of the parts of what’s happening without the judgment filter applied.

It makes for a fuller, richer experience and keeps life interesting. It also keeps us from sometimes putting a square peg (new experience) into a round hole (past similar experience).

Try this: go through your day with the intent that you will be aware of your judgments. It’s a fun experience as long as you don’t judge your judgments.

What to do with an extra hour?

How many times have you said “I need more time in the day?” Today is that day! Each year, we have one day where we are given an extra hour. We generally refer to it around my house as “an extra hour to sleep.” When given the gift of an hour, do you choose to use it to be awake or asleep?

We have many hours in each day that we choose to experience in an unawakened state. Sometimes it’s easier to be asleep and operating on auto-pilot than it is to be fully awake and aware of what we are contributing to the world. Will you mindlessly watch television or read to get away from the problems you feel you are experiencing in your life? Or will you cultivate awareness and change your very existence by getting rid of illusion and focusing on truth?

There is no judgment either way. Whatever you choose is exactly appropriate for your path at this time.

It is only when you might not be experiencing what you want to experience that it might be helpful for you to take a look at how you are spending your time. Do you know what is truly important to you or have you slipped into the automatic “doing” mode, where you spend a lot of time doing things that are inconsequential or that are counter to what you say you want.

Let go of self-criticism. Don’t beat yourself up – simply notice what your actions and inactions are yielding and make changes in the next moment if that feels right for you. Whatever you do, it is never wrong. It may be leading you on a scenic journey to where you want to go, but it isn’t wrong.

The more you let go of the automatic self-deprecation, the more awake you are. As you live more consciously, you truly make the best of each moment, each hour of the day. But, if what you need is sleep, then rest is of utmost importance.

Awaken to the awareness of what is right for you in each moment, and enjoy that extra hour!

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