Photo By Jennifer Upton
(used with permission)
Caption: what makes you unique?
Questions of meaning are often ignored by the young – usually to their detriment. As we age, our perspective and experience start to cause us to weigh our lives and ask deeper questions. Is what I’m doing worthwhile? Have I contributed to the world in a lasting way? What do I uniquely have to offer? How can I make a difference when so many people are hurting (including me)?
But finding answers to these questions is easier said than done, perhaps particularly as we get older and feel a stronger need to do something of value as part of a life well-lived. As part of the WiseTribe vision, we want to help people attract and create more meaning, inspiration, creativity and action in their lives. We think that forming “Local Tribes” with some structure but also a fun, social fabric will help activate new ideas and avenues for contribution – our very own peer-to-peer solution of sorts!
We tested this idea out at one of our improv nights a few months ago. We did a few fun exercises to help everyone relax and connect and then started to think about our stories. One of the biggest barriers to connection is letting ourselves become vulnerable, so we wanted to create a safe, lighthearted environment where people could let down their guards just a little bit. Oddly enough, we found that sometimes our gifts and strengths are actually the hardest things for us to talk about. One WiseTribe member, Karen Clancy, realized this after our meeting. “Even though we share things and I tell stories about “me”…. you really have no idea about what I do or who I am. For some reason I am always hiding my gifts and therefore do not fully represent who I am or what I can do. My resume is a labyrinth representing a puzzle with no soul.” When we withhold these positive things about ourselves, we limit the impact we can have on others and our opportunities to create meaningful connections.
Karen went on to talk about one of the activities we did. We went around the room several times filling in the statement “I am good at _______,” talking positively about our strengths and achievements. “This is such a challenge for many of us…. the exercise felt awkward, and perhaps unnatural. However, it left us with a certain afterglow and in a reflective state about our own capabilities and what we can contribute as individuals in the world.”
If we want to pursue meaning in our lives, we need to know our strengths and find places where they match the needs of others. We have to dig deep and discover our gifts so we can share them with others – regardless of what we’ve done in the past or what we feel we can’t do. We can’t let ourselves feel ashamed of saying ‘I’m good at this!’ At WiseTribe, we want to grow in our abilities as well as understand our limitations so we can to live our lives to the fullest. “After all,” Karen concluded, “this is a significant part of our legacies that we will leave behind one day.”
What are your strengths? Do you find it hard to own them?
