Yes, I am referring to my great grandfather, master architect Frank Lloyd Wright. And that has always been one of my favorite expressions because each one of us (YOU TOO) has a gift and a talent that is so innately ours that it seems like we are just shaking it out of our sleeves.

It isn't to say that you don't cultivate your talent and grow your gift; it's just that it feels more fun than frustrating, more play than work.

This week we've all heard a lot about Serena Williams and how hard she has worked to get where she is and yet she is clearly in love with the game of tennis and it loves her back. She seems to shake winning matches out of her racket.

As I sat down to write this to you, I realized that more often than not writing comes easily for me.

I love word play, word choices, putting memorable sound bites together, creating a tweet, a blog post, or writing a book.

I love being able to come up with content for my clients, irresistible tag lines, changing their bio from boring to WOW, drafting juicy packages, editing same old text and turning it into captivating. It's fun for me.

At the same time, I write frequently. It is a gift that I practice a lot. The more I write, the better I get.

I am not immune to the terror of a blinking black cursor on a blinding white screen taunting me with "so what will you write now???"

In fact, I went through at least 10 minutes of that this morning. I kept going.

That, for me, is the curse of having so much to say and wanting to ensure that what I write has an impact, makes a difference, and strikes a chord.

(You may have thought I didn't care, that I just turn out posts because it's on a schedule, ENTIRELY FALSE. I care deeply and when I get crickets back, I wonder if I missed the mark.)

So, what is your shake out of your sleeve gift? And yes you can have more than one (I also have a talent for teaching and training masquerading as consulting and coaching, lol.)

BTW, I'd love for you to reply to this email and let me know what your gift is!

In case you are wrestling with this question, here are some possibilities ... remember it has to be something that others look at you and remark how easy you make it look, and you know that while you love it, you also work at it.

(Eating bonbons and lying by a pool don't count as gifts or talents!)

Graphic Design (Illustrator, Logo Design, Fine Artist, Cartoonist)

Architecture (Architect, Engineer, Builder)

Interior Design and Decorating (Residential, Commercial, Staging, Drapery, Colorist, Full Service)

Taking Care of Animals (Veterinary)

Taking Care of Others (Insurance, Social Work, Counseling)

Building and Maintaining Wealth (Financial Advising or Accounting)

Photography (Weddings, Sports, Commercial, Environmental, Documentary)

Cooking (Food Trucks to Fine Dining, Personal Chef to Catering)

Wellness & Fitness (Trainer to Doctor)

Building Business (Marketing Mentor, Sales Trainer, Online Marketer)

Teaching (Kindergarten Teacher to Professor at University, Corporate Trainer)

This is the tip of the iceberg. I deliberately didn't include talents like singing or athletic gifts because usually (not always) those are discovered at a young age and cultivated. If you are reading this, you have likely moved onto a different gift and bigger dream or perhaps you need to pursue a spot on American Idol.

The key is that you focus on the GIFT and realize there are many different formats you can channel that into.

I didn't include speaking on my list because while I love to do that, it is a format. The gift is the ability (and desire) to teach, train, and inspire.

Think about this before you answer, make sure that your reply is truly YOUR GIFT and not what your parents told you you were good at. (They might be right, they might also have missed your true magic or only seen a piece of it.)

And on the flip side, those closest to you may have discouraged you the most from your gift. It definitely happens.

Fred Astaire was told he couldn't dance ... (He still takes my breath away with Ginger Rogers.)

Abraham Lincoln had a list of failures a mile long before he ever became President, and he was one of our finest.

What lights you up THE MOST? What are you willing to work at to get better?

I can't wait to see your answer and to know if you are currently using your gifts in your business, or are you hiding them.

Mega Hugs,

Melissa

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