Do you know what your core gift is?

When you think about your job do you feel a smile slowly forming or do you feel a cloud of dread forming over your head?

When you think about the challenges in your work do you feel depressed like nothing is going right and that you are always performing below standard thus not delivering your objectives or do you feel like these are just temporary setbacks that will strengthen you as a person and that there is an answer waiting just around the corner?

When you think about your career do you feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction or do you feel a sense of yearning to pursue your hobby full time or you envy a close friend or sibling who is pursuing his passion of theater arts or writing?

When you wake up in the morning do you find that you are dragging yourself from bed just to go to work or do you find yourself looking forward to going to work with such optimism and brightness that infects other people?

If you feel such negativity about your work then maybe you are in the wrong field or maybe you haven’t found your core gift.

As Bo Sanchez defines core gift, “It is something you are passionate about.  It is what you were born to do and if you use it, you will prosper.”

But this means that you know and understand yourself very well.  If you are still a bit lost and confused then maybe it will be a good idea to go on your own to some quiet spot like going to Picnic Grove, Tagaytay on a weekday or going for a weekend trip to a beach in Cebu or walking in the lush Botanical Garden in Singapore.

It is also nice to once in a while connect with your inner self, to talk to yourself and hear your inner voice.  I actually did this in August 2012 when I was seriously thinking about my own career when I was facing struggles in my career.  I decided to go for a weekend getaway in an island to do some soul searching.  I was just near the ocean, listening to the waves, enjoying the sand and the sun while reading a book and drinking a beer.  Then I began thinking and asking myself questions like:

1)      What do I enjoy doing?

2)      What am I good at?

3)      Am I currently doing something I enjoy and do I feel that I am excelling at it?

4)      If I didn’t pursue the field of Supply Chain, what will I be doing now?

5)      Do I have other options in terms of field of interest and expertise?

6)      What is really my core gift and how I can earn from it?

Usually it works for me if I put my thoughts and feelings into writing as it seems more glaring versus if I just simply think about it.  The other thing that works for me is after my “alone time” of thinking and writing it all down, I will consult a close friend who knows me in and out from my personal side to my working side and who will give me an upfront and honest opinion.  I will bounce off ideas with my friend and this friend will be honest enough to challenge me out of my comfort zone and give me compliments when I deserve it.  At the end of the day, you will still be the one making the final decision on the path you will take.

But once you have made that final stand, decide also to excel at whatever field you have chosen to pursue & have fun doing it.  The best part about this is even if you didn’t plan for it, you will be rewarded for your efforts and hard work at a time when you least expect it or in a way you’ve never dreamed of.  Rewards can be in the form of monetary compensation, promotion, recognition from regional or global team or kind words from your boss or colleagues like “job well done” or “good job” with a pat in the back.  And as humans one of our basic needs is to be appreciated by our peers & boss.  As long as the praise is sincerely given, it will lift our spirit & can help fuel further our desire to be better at our job.  Having said this I better get back to my job and you should too.  Till my next blog 🙂