Career & Business

How to find your gift

How to find your gift – and lasting fulfillment

Posted by: Team Tony

We all get into business to win – but the key to winning in any business is to align with your true nature, because that is how you position yourself for success. Millions of people around the world are unhappy in their careers. This is because they went the “traditional route”: deciding what they wanted to do early on, going to college, taking a job in that field and then trying to work their way up the ladder.

Unfortunately, most people don’t know what they really want in a career or have not figured out their unique gifts yet when they make their career choices. They never stopped along the way to ask, “What is my gift, and just how do I know what my gifts are?” This means they’re spending their lives trying to build a career they don’t truly care about or that they are not able to excel at. Even if you do go into business for yourself, you may find that you’re in over your head or that you feel like an imposter as a leader. This happens because you have not discovered how to find your gift and what you can bring to your organization.

When you’ve suppressed your innate skills and talents, figuring out what they are can seem daunting. But figuring out your gift is key to finding lasting satisfaction in life. 

What is my gift?: Guiding principles

You’re in good company if you find yourself asking, “What is my gift?” Everyone has unique qualities and attributes, but it can be difficult to know if those are your “gifts.” You might be skillful in a number of areas, but if those skills don’t bring you fulfillment, it’s hard to view them as gifts. Or you might enjoy putting your talents to work in your career and personal life, but at the end of the day, you wonder if there’s more to life. 

Psychology Today reports there are a number of behaviors that indicate how to find your gift is begging for answers. If you ignore the question of “how” and replace it with distractions, those distractions become compulsions that can result in depression, anxiety and a lack of contentment. You might substitute substance abuse for real answers to the question, “How do I know what my gifts are?” Or you might overuse your gift, turning it into an obsession that depletes itself quickly. You might save your gift for an unknown future, afraid to deplete or damage it, isolating yourself in the meantime. As safe as these distractions can feel, if you avoid living in the present, your gift never manifests, so it can’t bring you any joy. If you notice any of these issues in your life, it’s likely you’ve forsaken finding real answers to the question, “What is my gift?” If you’re feeling disillusioned, there’s good news: It’s from that place of feeling “giftless” that you’re most inspired to dig deep and learn how to find your gift. Your gift in life is what’s hiding behind your defense mechanisms. It’s what emerges when you’re true to yourself by seeking out inspiration. Rather than thinking of your gift as an elusive concept you’ll find in the distant future, think of it as a reality that’s always in the process of emerging.

How do I know what my gifts are?

As Tony Robbins says, whatever you enjoy the most, that’s what you’ll be naturally drawn to. The more confident you become in your real self, the more readily answers emerge when you ask, “How do I know what my gifts are?” Tony believes there are three different gifts of labor that people bring to a business: the gift of being an artist, the gift of being a manager and the gift of being an entrepreneur. When asking yourself, “What is my gift?”, think for a moment which of these three most fit your personality. 

1. The gift of being an artist

An artist has a passion for a unique skill, such as writing, building homes or developing software, and they go into business so they can turn their passion into profit. The real-life story of Michaela Isaac is a beautiful example of someone who found powerful answers to the question of “What is my gift?” Michaela attended Business Mastery to find a deeper sense of purpose in her newly-launched advertising business. She’d gone into business as a means to an end, seeing herself as an entrepreneur. But it wasn’t until Michaela dared to ask the pivotal question, “How do I know what my gifts are?” that she found fulfillment. Michaela realized that her true nature is that of an artist – a “matchmaker” connecting clients with their ideal market. If you, too, are an artist by nature, you’ll be inspired by what you bring to life through your work.

2. The gift of being a manager

A manager or leader thrives on working with people and processes. People with this gift love dealing with organizational issues and are much more interested in working with those involved in the business than they are on the products or services themselves. Ben Mason’s real life story is a prime example of a managerial spirit who found powerful answers when he asked, “How do I know what my gifts are?” Ben had launched a fitness business with his fiancée, identifying at that time as an entrepreneur. It wasn’t until Ben attended Business Mastery that he realized entrepreneurship was only the starting point for his true gift: effective management. A natural-born manager, Bill uncovered a deep-seated enthusiasm for solving problems, creating systems and developing practices to get exceptional results.

3. The gift of being an entrepreneur

Those who have the entrepreneurial gift are focused on building up companies to create a profit. They love taking risks and are likely to sell businesses and start new ones. “What is my gift?” is the question Bianca Lily asked herself as she signed up for Business Mastery. Bianca had explored a variety of jobs and occupations, but she still didn’t feel fulfilled. She even started a small business but soon felt deflated, realizing she wasn’t a business owner at heart. Through Business Mastery, Bianca realized that she craved the life of an entrepreneur. For Bianca, entrepreneurship was central to her gift, since it provided an opportunity to inspire others. 

How to find your gift by looking inside yourself

When trying to figure out how to find your gift, you need to do a lot of soul searching. Take a close look at your values, what makes you feel energized and how you best interact with others. What do you gravitate toward when no one else is looking? You can also look back to your past: What did you love spending your time doing as a child? Did you spend hours in your bedroom with coloring books or finger paints or were you constantly trying to organize the neighborhood kids into kickball teams? 

If you’re still finding trouble developing an answer, ask those closest to you. Friends and family members can often be a great resource in this area as they bring a different perspective to the question. They may see gifts in you that you didn’t even realize you had. If you’re still stuck, take our business identity quiz now to find out which natural gift you bring to your business.

1. Applying your gift

Once you discover how to find your gift, you can then take the next steps to apply it to your professional life. Just as an individual with a cooperative working style would be unhappy in a job where they were frequently isolated, a person with the gift of being an artist would not thrive if they were tasked with managing a team. Artists tend to work best independently or in small groups, while managers enjoy organizing large teams. As for entrepreneurs, they only feel alive when they are using their hunger and drive to build a company that has financial value. You can have an enormous impact on an organization regardless of your specific gift – you must know how to find your gift and then build your career around it.

2. Building a team

Once you know if you’re an artist, a manager or an entrepreneur, you can build a team around your skills and talents. You can also ask your employees the question, “What is your gift?” so they can thrive in your organization. Identify whether you have the right people in the right places based on their gifts and abilities to understand others, envision outcomes, inspire each other and understand themselves. As Tony Robbins often says, “The secret to living is giving,” and when you equip your employees with the tools they need to find their gifts, you are truly building a unique business.

3. Stop surviving and start thriving

When we work in or run a business that does not tap into our true gifts, we go into survival mode. We don’t love what we do, we don’t feel a deep connection to our team and we don’t feel like we’re having a real impact on the world. It’s time to stop surviving and start thriving in your career. Once you have answered the question, “How do I know what my gifts are?”, you can start utilizing it in every aspect of your business. Using your values and gifts as a baseline, you can turn uncertainty into action, focus on a meaningful vision and truly create the life and business you’ve always dreamed of.

Learning how to find your gift starts with getting back in touch with yourself. Find your gift at Unleash the Power Within, a 3 ½-day event that will lead toward greater self-understanding and career fulfillment.

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