¹⁸But now God has set the members, every one of them in the body, as it has pleased him. – I Cor. 12:18

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”  -John Wooden

I’ve just finished my first month of P90x and I was also going through this book by Coach Wooden over the weekend. I’ve also been listening to Keith Moore’s “Graces and Places” series. The theme throughout all of them is the same- Success is doing the best you can with who you are, your gifts, and your circumstances.

God  gave us our gifts, talents, and abilities. He surrounded us with the people were surrounded with, He’s opened doors for us, He’s given us favor, He’s done for us more than we could ever imagine (Eph. 3:20).

Instead of taking what He’s given you and comparing with what He gave others or instead of wishing you had what somebody else has, be thankful for what you do have. See every gift as one to develop, every opportunity as one to sieze, every relationship you have as a God given one to cultivate.

Recognize that all you can do on any given day is simply give your best effort – do that, and God will take care of the rest.

“Make each day your masterpiece.” -John Wooden

¹⁶A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men. -Proverbs 18:16

All the Opportunities You can Imagine and Then Some

Once you’ve discovered your gift and made the commitment to develop your gift daily, the fun begins to start. The Bible says that your gift will make room for you (create opportunities and open doors for you) and bring you before great men. As a result of discovering and developing my gifts I’ve:

• Had Opportunities I Would have Never Dreamed Of – I still can’t believe some of the things I’ve had the opportunity to do. There have been opportunities I’ve had to turn down, and I know as I continue to develop, God will keep bringing bigger and better opportunities my way.

• I’ve Connected with People I would Have Never Dreamed Of – I remember 7 years ago thinking that if I could spend 2 minutes with a high quality leader my life would be awesome! 7 years later, God has connected me to so many high quality leaders I can’t believe it.  And He keeps opening doors to allow me to meet and connect with even more. Your gift really will bring you before great men (Leaders are always looking for potential leaders).

• I’m Going Places I would Have Never Dreamed Of - When I look at where God HAS taken me, I can’t even imagine where God IS taking me.

I literally can’t believe I get to live my life. I had to take care of my part developing my gift and  God always takes care of His part opening doors that I could never open and closing doors I could never close. What God will do for me, He’ll do for you!

What doors have opened and opportunities have come your way because you made the choice to discover and develop your gift?

“Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.” –Proverbs 19:20

I just got back from a training to become a Making it Count Speaker. Man did I get stretched! To make a long story short, I had to memorize 2 presentations and present them before trainers (who are all veterans with the company) along with the other speakers trying out. I felt like I was in front of Simon trying out for American Idol!

Did I mention I was probably the youngest one there?  Everyone else consisted of professional actors, professional speakers, pastors, business owners, teachers, etc… A ton of talent was in the room…just a little intimidating – So what did I learn through the process??? SOME VALUABLE LESSONS!

1.) The Value of CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM – Speaking in front of other professional speakers and having them critique my communication skills was very humbling, but they did it in love and gave me things to work on that will make me better. I’m so glad they were willing to be honest with me.

2.) To Check the Source of Compliments – We should want complimented by people who do what we do. That should actually encourage us more than someone who is just saying “good job” because they appreciate our gifting.

3.) Our Gifts Need Challenged - When was the last time you were actually stretched in the area of your gifting? It took this weekend to realize it’s been a while for me.  If it’s been a while for you, I strongly recommend you do something to get out of your comfort zone.

4.) I Need Coaches, You need Coaches – Definitely want to start pursuing coaches in the areas of communicating and writing… anyone have any contacts that would be good?  If you’re gifted in an area – find a coach in that area, no matter how good you think you are.

Thoughts?