Stacking The Deck In Your Favor
Many people do not bother to look at their own magnificence and without that view it is not likely that we will recognize the need for strategies to maximize our strengths. When we buy an outfit for a special affair, we automatically try to coordinate each piece so that they enhance one another and amplify our sense of "looking good" from head to toe. A man will make sure his socks and tie are in sync while a woman will adorn herself with color coordinated makeup, jewelry, nail color, etc. But when it comes to our gifts and talents, we get extremely casual or sloppy and so we stack skills on top that don't bring out our best and sometimes we are so off kilter, our skills are actually a tacky appendage that detracts from our gifts and talents.
You are your most valuable asset. To build your premiere asset up, you must enhance your gifts, your talents, and your primary personal preferences with skills that round out your life's tool kit so that you are worth more to yourself and to others. When I speak of worth, I am not speaking of your value as a human being. I am speaking of the value added to the world by doing what you do best in a way that is of great service. You are worth more to yourself when you can spend more time doing what you love and value and less time doing what you don't love and don't value.
So here's what you need to do.
1. Define your gifts (raw qualities: i.e. creative, analytical, self-expressed, verbal, detail oriented, concept oriented, relationship oriented, etc.).
2. Define your talents (refined qualities; i.e. artist, problem solver, actor, speaker, designer, writer, counselor, etc).
3. Define your personal preferences (likes, inclinations; i.e. like working with children, morning person, work best with a lot of freedom and flexible schedule).
4. Do some research and fill in the gap with skills that maximize your gifts, your talents, and your personal preferences.
It's best to have a final product in mind, meaning a vision of who you want to be in the world. For example, I want to help people live extraordinary lives. Skills I have added are coaching, project management, designing instruction, building a website, teaching teleclasses, and e-marketing. When is the last time you took note of your own unique magnificence and stacked complimentary skills on top to increase your personal and professional value.
I'm asking you to please, please take your gifts and talents serious. Don't surround them with mismatched skills just to get by. Self-investment and self-actualization are two of the best ways to honor ourselves, honor our Creator, and contribute to the world. Take yourself to the next level by stacking the deck in your favor.
Robin Harris is a DesignerLife Coach whose focus is to empower self-motivated entrepreneurs and individuals to achieve their greatest potential while discovering and honoring their core values. Contact Robin through her web site http://www.designerlifecoaching.com or by email at robin@designerlifecoaching.com
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 Bloomberg | Nokia to axe 4000 jobs, move assembly to Asia Reuters To cut assembly jobs in Finland, Hungary, Mexico * Moves smartphone assembly to Asia * Shares 1.2 pct higher By Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent HELSINKI, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Struggling Finnish phone maker Nokia plans to cut 4000 more jobs ... Nokia Plans to Eliminate 4000 Jobs as It Shifts Device Assembly to Asia Nokia Says to Cut 4000 Jobs to Shift Phone Assembly to Asia Nokia to Cut 4000 Jobs |
 The Idaho Statesman | Acme's parent company to cut 800 jobs Philadelphia Inquirer By Maria Panaritis Acme Markets' corporate parent, Supervalu Inc., announced Tuesday it would cut 800 jobs across the country by the end of its fiscal year Feb. 25 as part of ongoing cost-reduction efforts. The Minneapolis-based supermarket retail ... Jewel-Osco cutting corporate jobs in Chicago Supervalu to cut 800 jobs nationwide CORRECT: Supervalu To Cut 800 Office Jobs By Feb 25 In Turnaround Effort |
 USA TODAY | Job openings jump to near 3-year high Albany Times Union The number of available jobs jumped in December, nearly matching a three-year high reached last fall, a hopeful sign that January's large job gain may continue. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) In this Feb. 3, 2012 photo, workers at Three World Trade ... More job openings, but job hunters don't have skills needed Dodge Dart Adds Thousands of Jobs Near Chicago Chrysler to add 1800 jobs, expand plant in Illinois |
 Boston.com | Available jobs leap to three-year high Pioneer Press The number of available jobs in the United States jumped in December to near a three-year high, supporting other data that show a brighter outlook for hiring. Companies and governments posted 3.38 million jobs in December, the Labor Department said ... Job openings rise to 3.4 million in December Available jobs rise; hiring still flat Number of available jobs reaches 3-year high, report shows |
 Mashable | Apps industry has created 466000 jobs since 2007, study says Los Angeles Times The demand for applications for games, quantum physics and many other things has created 466000 jobs in the US since 2007, according to an analysis released Tuesday by technology trade group TechNet. The estimate counts 311000 jobs at companies making ... 'App Economy' has created 466000 US jobs App Stores Create 500000 U.S. Jobs Apps-related jobs tallied at 466K in US |
 First Coast News | Cloud computing, apps power jobs growth in Silicon Valley Times of India SAN FRANCISCO: Silicon Valley is creating jobs and wealth for highly skilled workers but may be leaving some residents behind as employment closes in on pre-Great Recession levels, according to a report released Tuesday. The 2012 Silicon Valley Index ... Report: Silicon Valley sees growth in jobs, wealth |
 Los Angeles Times | Jobs numbers undermine Romney's raison d'Ãtre Statesman Journal Last month, 243000 jobs were created. That's significantly more than the 155000 new jobs economists had predicted, according to the Associated Press. In the wake of this latest report indicating a healing economy, Mitt Romney, the front-runner in the ... Keep pushing on jobs, Mr. President Obama's re-election campaign finds fuel with new job reports, GOP primaries Good jobs data force GOP pivot |
 Bloomberg | Bernanke: Job Market Remains Weak Despite Gains ABC News Ben Bernanke says the job market isn't as strong as the steadily declining unemployment rate might suggest. Responding to questions at a Senate hearing Tuesday, he noted that the unemployment rate doesn't capture the plight of millions of people who ... Bernanke sticks with Fed plan to hold interest rates low until '14, despite ... Bernanke defends Fed on inflation, jobs FED FOCUS-Fed's focus on jobs lays path for inflation target |
 ABC Online | Job losses take centre stage in parliament ABC Online Parliament today heard competing explanations about recent job losses in Australia with pledges to save jobs and the promise of more broadband too, so we get a wrap of the day's action. CHRIS UHLMANN, PRESENTER: The Prime Minister stepped up her attack ... |
INSIGHT-The dark side of Germany's jobs miracle Reuters Jobs miracle fuelled by low-wage sector boom * More wage inequality, working poor in Germany * Germany reregulates jobs market as Europe deregulates By Sarah Marsh and Holger Hansen STRALSUND, Germany, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Anja has been scrubbing floors ... Insight: The dark side of Germany's jobs miracle |
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