Do you have a personal characteristic you wish you could change or eliminate?
Maybe you think of yourself as scatter-brained or shy. Maybe others have criticized your impulsiveness.
Is there something about yourself that for whatever reason you feel you’d be better off if you weren’t that way?
Take a moment and think about one of those characteristics you wish you could change.
Now I invite you to look at that trait in a different way. Consider how that trait might very well be a good thing, a strength.
You might find that difficult at first, when you’ve always viewed that trait as a flaw, but consider the following.
I have a 17-year old daughter who frequently gets mistaken for a 13 or 14-year old.
She is smart, beautiful, witty, unassuming and a lot fun.
I complimented her recently on her ability to make friends wherever she goes and she wryly retorted, “Yeah, they’re all three year olds.”
We had a good laugh because children do adore her and gravitate towards her vivacious personality. But then, so do others of all ages.
Perhaps it’s her youthful appearance or her refreshing, childlike enjoyment of life that contribute to the confusion of her age.
Though this ability to make friends with people of all ages is definitely more than just her youthful appearance, it’s easy for her to focus on the aspect of her age.
What she may deem as an annoyance because she’s often mistaken to be younger than she is, could be viewed as a gift.
Her smile and friendly nature make her easy to approach, which quickly puts people at ease.
That is a gift.
What about you?
Have you been judged and desire to mask or hide a personal characteristic that in reality is your gift?
Are you denying the world, your gift because of self-judgment?
Such as:
Being told you’re a perfectionist, when really you have the gift of fine-tuning and perfecting. Making things the best they can be.
That is a gift.
Being told you’re not serious enough, when really you have the ability to lighten and brighten a situation. You bring hope.
That is a gift.
Being told you’re too quiet, when really you bring sensitivity and understanding to situations.
That is a gift.
Being told you’re too active or busy, when really you have an ability to get things done efficiently.
That is a gift.
On and on, the gifts abound. We need to view ourselves with greater understanding and look for the contribution behind the quality.
May I challenge you to look at what you may have been denigrating about yourself and consider the possibility that it is a gift?
With love,
