This is the season of giving. In the spirit of giving, I want to talk about your gifts.
What happens when you think about gifts, whether giving or receiving? For many of us, just the mention of gifts elicits the feeling of excitement, anticipation and surprise. I can quickly imagine glittering gold ribbons, multicolored wrapping paper, the sheen of shiny paper, and the sound of paper ripping as gifts are being unwrapped.
Gifts. Excitement. Anticipation. Surprise. Joy.
All of us give year-round. Much of what we give – and receive – is not wrapped in packages.When we give of ourselves, as we do in our work, we give a host of gifts. We give our knowledge, experience, expertise, insights, values, personal qualities and our time. We rarely consider these intangibles to be gifts. We do not appreciate the unique and special package that we offer to others in the workplace. We do not look upon this package with the spirit of generosity or excitement that we grant to holiday giving.
I believe giving of ourselves is the most precious gift of all. When you extend an offer to an employer or client, you are giving a truly unique gift. Your unique mix of skills, experience, training and personality traits.
Never mind the packaging of resume or cover letter, or the conventions of interview stories, elevator pitches and branding. These are job search norms. These do not convey the authentic, genuine spirit of contributing our precious selves in the workforce. These are surely not the wrappings that most of us want to put on ourselves.
Someone wisely said that we all have gifts, but many of us have not unwrapped our package. We will only remember we have gifts if we claim the spirit of gift giving when we give of ourselves, whether for a job or a potential client or a friend or a co-worker.
When we know in our hearts that we have gifts, we can bring a spirit of generosity and excitement and genuine enthusiasm to mundane activities like interviews and job applications.
We have to make a practice of owning our gifts. Naming them as a gifts. Looking at ourselves as ribboned and sparkly and shiny and special. Believing in the value of what we offer. When we cherish our unique package, we also look at our resumes and our websites as part of our gift giving package.
The season of gift giving is here. Begin by unwrapping and celebrating your unique package.