What are your gifts?

I have always been inspired and perplexed by asking the question to myself and to others- "what are your gifts?" and "are you using them?" 

I have been knee deep in planning for Little Pink Houses of Hope and my level of excitement increases everyday just thinking about this thought coming to real life and impacting the lives of others. Various people have said to me, just tell me what I can do to help with Little Pink Houses of Hope.  Of course, the logical things come to mind- we need houses donated, we need meals donated, we will need volunteers, we need money.  But the bigger question for me whenever I have that conversation is "what is your gift?" and "how can you use it to help Little Pink Houses?"  One of the things that I am very passionate about is creating a culture of giving for Little Pink Houses of Hope that is inclusive and driven by the good that we all want to see happen with this project.  Two events this past week made it clear to me that this culture is possible if we all are able to tap into our gifts. 

The first event started with a pedicure (a little treat for myself!).  After talking to my nail technician about Little Pink Houses, she made the statement..." if there is anything that I can ever do, just let me know".  My response was- "What gifts do you have and how do you think you could use them for Little Pink Houses"?  She immediately came up with ideas of how she could help.  How she could provide services, how she could fundraise, and how she could use her gifts.  She now owns these ideas, she will be driven to do something, and she will know that she is using her gifts to make a difference.  Isn't that what we all want- to be a part of something bigger than ourselves; to leave our mark?  That is the type of culture of giving that I want to create. 

The second event started as a facebook post by a friend who was hot in a barber chair.  What started out as typical banter about getting a haircut turned into an idea about using his connections (that is right, I am calling you out Todd!) to raise funds for Little Pink Houses with an extreme haircut fundraiser.   This would never have been the first thing that came to my mind to answer the question, "how can I help?"  and in his case, he never actually asked; the idea grew organically through the joys of social networking pressure:)

Imagine if everyone in our group was able to hone in and create a tangible way to help just by using their gifts.  For example, I know that each person in our group might not have $100, but may be able to use their gifts to raise $100.  As of today, we have 265 members.  That would be a total of $26,500 just for answering the question "what are my gifts?"!   Or it might be that your gifts are not in the fundraising realm, but maybe you are a part of a civic organization that does volunteer work.  Imagine if everyone of us find a way to get 10 service hours from others- that would be a total of 2650 volunteering hours!!!  Everyone's gifts are different, but what is important is not to sit on the sidelines.  Jump in and use your gifts!

Do you see where I am going? The question that I want to pose to you is simple- "What are your gifts?" and "How can you use them to help Little Pink Houses of Hope?"  Sometimes asking others this question about yourself is a great way to get in touch with your gifts.  Don't put it off- get started today.  Use your gifts!