What keeps you from your gift?

What stands in the way from offering your gift to the world?

What can I say to convince you the world NEEDS your contribution?

I don’t consider myself the world’s greatest writer.  I am fully aware of my shortcomings as an artist.  I am in no way standing on some imaginary authoritative pedestal trying to arrogantly hand out my knowledge you are somehow lacking.  On the contrary, I am eager to see your greatness and I’m also eager to watch that greatness transform our world.

Even though I know my own limitations and abilities, thankfully I am aware enough to know I MUST offer my gifts and talents to the world.  I have lived the better part of my life ignoring my gifts, denying I had any gifts, and not believing the people who were brave enough to speak truth into my life about my gifts.  But eventually I finally woke up.  I finally realized that I am a much better person when I am using my gifts.  I spent years denying my gifts and ignoring the call to use my talents .  I was miserable.  I sank into a deep depression. I packed on weight in an effort to find joy in something, anything–even if it was food.  Then, eventually, I came to understand my creativity brought me joy.  My gifts unlocked something in me that has remained free ever since.

I have chosen to be an open vessel.  I am willingly allowing my gifts and talents to be used by the Universe for whatever reason it sees fit.  I unknowingly (or knowingly) named my blog Mysterious Flow because who can know for certain where our ideas come from?  I have simply made myself available for Life to speak through me.

There are so many things I write that doesn’t get shared in public.  I don’t expect that every time my pen touches the page it’s going to be read by thousands  and shared around the world.  Truthfully, I’m not attached to the outcome of my writing.  As soon as I release something into the world, that piece is no longer mine to hold onto.  Certain artists realize this easier than others.  Just because I gave birth to an idea doesn’t mean I have to follow it to the ends of the earth to protect its honor.

I have learned an important lesson: When I realize and believe the entire world is perfect this very second, that releases me to not be attached to the outcome of my writing.  My focus is taking care of my heart, my gifts, and my soul.  Another lesson I have learned is to take my ego out of the process.  If I post some writing that gets fifty readers, that writing is no less important than what was read by five thousand readers.  When I know my job is to simply keep writing, not to worry about the outcome, then I am focused on the right priority.

I will write for the rest of my life.  I believe someday my writing will provide an income enough to change my current place of employment, but until it does, I will keep writing just the same.  My allegiance is to my gift.  My devotion is to my Muse.  I am not unrealistically heaping pressure onto my writing that it has to help me quit my job.  Those unfair and unrealistic expectations wouldn’t serve me or my gifts or the world.

The interesting thing I have learned about declaring I am a writer and believing in my gifts and talents is how much easier the process has become.  I sit down to write–often times I have no idea ahead of time what wants to come out of me–and as long as I keep my pen moving, ideas begin to flow in from nowhere.  One idea after the other floods my mind and bleeds onto the page through my pen.

When I fully grasp my ideas come from a mysterious place that I have no control over, there is no pressure, there is no reason for my ego to sabotage the process.  I simply have to show up.  I have to carve out the time and quiet place to allow the idea to be born.  There is no manipulating or gimmicks or fancy marketing scheme.  Ideas long to find a conduit to be born through, I simply offer myself up as that conduit.

Often times, when I sit down to write, I find myself lost in all time and space.  I become wholly present.  Time stands still–it’s heaven on earth.  There is no past, no tomorrow, only the very moment I am in–the Eternal Now–moving my pen across the page.  The same Life that fills my lungs and pumps blood through my veins is the same Life that moves my pen and fills my mind with ideas.  Who am I to question this Life?  I just show up.  I show up expecting to be wowed!  I show up already in awe of the whole process.  But, most importantly, I show up.

I say all this to say you have gifts and talents the world needs to see.  Whether you’re a writer, painter, singer, musician, gardener, potter, knitter, iron worker, quilter, sculptor, or builder, the world is waiting with baited breath for you to display your gifts.

The world NEEDS your gifts!  The world needs your strength.  The world needs your vulnerability and bravery.

Many of you instantly know what your gifts are the second I mentioned it.  People have been complimenting your gifts for many years now.  So for you, the difficult part is not discovering but creating space for your gifts to grow.

If you are unsure of your gifts and have the assumption you have nothing unique to offer the world, your task may require a little more cunningness.  Not knowing is just as exciting as knowing though.  Not knowing means you get to embark on a wonderful adventure full of wonder and discovery.  Just as Frodo didn’t return the ring to Middle Earth in a day, and Luke Skywalker didn’t defeat the Empire in a day, taking the journey of discovering your gifts doesn’t happen overnight either.

You may have to search for it, earnestly, honestly, much the same way Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew piece together their mysteries.  I sense it will be much easier than that though.  I believe if you asked the Universe to reveal your special contribution to the world, and then pay attention for the next couple weeks–I mean really pay attention–then your mystery will be solved.  You will hear it loud and clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  The Universe will respond.  Ask, listen, wait, pay attention, then receive!  When you know, you’ll know.

Of course, here’s the tricky part.  You’ll hear loud and clear what your gifts are then you’ll drag your feet, not believe it, ask for more proof, procrastinate, take on another responsibility that eats up all your free time, and basically anything else other than what you heard from the Universe.  Oh sure, you’ll flirt around with the idea, maybe even take a class or buy some supplies, but really you’ll wait.

You’ll wait long enough and pretty soon your gift will haunt you.

The haunting may not hover over your every thought, but it will patiently wait for you.  You will have a nagging feeling to fill every quiet moment you have with some kind of noise because it’s during these quiet times that your gift will try and grab your attention.

The interesting thing about our gifts is they will wait a lifetime for us if they have to.  They never give us a bunch of crap because we took so long.  The minute you realize you’re ready, your gift simply rolls up its sleeves and gets to work right along side of you.  There’s no angry rebuke, no chastising, just a beautiful co-creation begins to unfold.

Have you ever received a gift of art from a small child?  Maybe they drew a picture with crayons and gave it to you full of pride and love for you? Chances are, you loved their gift because it came from their precious little heart.  You didn’t say their gift was terrible because the stick figures of people and pets weren’t the right shapes or sizes.  You didn’t crumble up the paper and throw it in the trash.  You probably hung their gift in a very public place.  You know their gift came from their heart so you proudly shared it with anyone that walked by.

Now that you’re older, what makes you think your gifts are any different?  If you shared your gifts with a childlike excitement–and without judgment–then the world will see your heart and respond with the same enthusiasm as a parent who receives a gift from their child.

Creativity longs to work with you.  Your gift is waiting with baited breath for you to join her.  She can’t wait to share all her ideas with you.  She doesn’t pressure you though.  She simply offers her idea and then waits.  If you agree and run with it, she’s ecstatic.  If you don’t see it, then she patiently waits and maybe offers an alternate idea in the meantime.  There is no ego with Creativity.  She never takes offense and she’s always ready to serve you any way possible.

What keeps you from your gift?

What stands in the way from offering your gift to the world?

What can I say to convince you the world NEEDS your contribution?

I think Marianne Williamson said it best in A Return to Love:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

You playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Peace my Friends!

 

~Travis