Here’s a few things about me that you may already know about me:
I like to write.
I enjoying making connections between people. For that reason, I love social media; just last night, my daughter told me she thinks I’m addicted to Facebook (no surprise there).
I’m passionate about being intentionally involved in my daughters’ lives.
Here’s a few things you may not know:
I enjoy cooking and baking.
I prefer structure and routine.
My undergrad degree is in creative writing. Up until the time I graduated from college, I wrote lots of poetry.
In the years before I began writing this blog, I wanted to write my own blog. Instead, I read other people’s blogs — voraciously.
I’m left handed.
Start with making a list like the one above. I limited mine for the sake of this blog post, but make yours as long as you can. Write down as much as you can about yourself: your unique abilities and talents but also your quirks and preferences.
Consider how many of your gifts you actually use in your daily life and work.
Whether you work for yourself or within an organization, one way to maximize resources as a leader is to identify and use all your own gifts and talents.
People who work independently may find it easier to integrate many of their abilities into their businesses. But even if you work within an organization, once you identify your own assets, you will be able to look for – even create – opportunities to use them. Or, you can enrich your life (and others) by finding ways to leverage your talent after-hours.
Be playful. I like to daydream about a world in which I can simultaneously use my talents: teaching a group of people about sign language while serving them a treat of homemade muffins. Or starting a blog about leadership and ice cream recipes. Or coaching teachers about how to use social media to enhance learning. If you start to list ideas that sound crazy, you’ll eventually come up with some that sound viable.
The trick is to use everything.
Use it all, to make a difference, wherever you are, every day.
This was originally posted at Mountain State University LeaderTalk and is reposted with permission.
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.