Finding my strengths, and discovering my calling

“I look for the opportunities that celebrate the creativity of individuals and allow the chance to bring something new into the world”

According to Clifton StrengthsFinder, my greatest strength is called individualization.  That’s just a fancy way of saying that I see what makes each person unique.  I sense their gifts and abilities and I make a living out of helping people see and express their gifts in a way that benefits the world at large.

But coming to that realization was a long process—one that lasted through a move to Houston, countless job applications, and finally recruitment and consulting.

One of my college professors stated that if he were to do it all over again, he would take 3 months off after graduation to think about how he wanted to spend his life.  He figured you only have so long to live and that you ought to make the most of it.  In order to do that, he felt you should figure out some guiding principles that would help you make big decisions in life.

I didn’t have the luxury of time off after graduation, but I thought creating some guiding principles to ensure I would make good decisions seemed like a good idea.  If these principles were to stand firm, they’d have to be broad enough to allow my life to change, but specific enough to use in my decision-making.

I could only come up with one.  Maybe my deepest belief is that creativity is the mark of God on humankind.  I grew to believe that the reason I am on this earth is to celebrate the uniqueness of each person and what they can create.  I find ways to help them express that to the world.

This is why my house is full of original art, why I’m married to an artist, and why so many of my friends are entrepreneurs.  This is why I live in the most creative and friendly city on earth–Nashville, Tennessee.  My calling manifests in many different and unexpected ways that I discovered later in life.

Growing up professionally as a recruiter was just one way I expressed my purpose.  I became a recruiter where I hired people with unique skills and abilities and matched them to a job opportunity where they could express those skills.  I didn’t realize at the time that there was any relationship between what I did for a living and my love of original art.  It seemed merely coincidental.  It fact it didn’t seem anything at all.

I evolved into a consultant where I help organizations elicit greater results from the talent they employ. As a writer, speaker, and publisher, I create resources to further inspire greater productivity, creativity, and more fulfilling work experiences.

As I grow as a person and as my life continues to evolve, I’ve learned that my calling is a guidepost.  I look for the opportunities that celebrate the creativity of individuals and allow the chance to bring something new into the world and I say yes to them. I say yes even when it means throwing myself into situations where I’m uncomfortable, even when it means that I have to leave behind my friends and family to move somewhere unfamiliar, even when it means I have to turn down options that seem like they could be good ones.  I do these things to say yes to my calling.