How to Find Your Unique Gifts

How do you find your unique gifts? It seems everybody is trying to find out where they fit in and who they want to be. So, how do you figure that out? There are several places to look.

“Don’t be in the Wannabe tribe. Be in the tribe of being. The Be tribe.”

I was recently traveling with the World Indigenous Science Network (WISN- pronounced WI-zen), in the company of amazing healers from all over the world. I was particularly inspired by one of the healers from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Ernesto Olmos is a Jaguar Medicine Man, sharing indigenous healing practices from the southern region of Mexico.

He shared with me that many people come to him who are from the Wannabe tribe. “Is that a tribe that I haven’t heard of?” I thought. “Where are they from?”

Then I realized it was just a play on words.

Many people are trying to find out where to be and how to be and what they need to do to be.

“So many people take shamanic courses because they want to find themselves and they all want to be shaman.” he said. But…are we ALL meant to be shaman?

Begin to Look at Your Life

In the Hawaiian tradition, the Kahuna that was the master.

One of the brothers I was traveling with said, “Allow the work you do to be like a prayer.” When I asked him what he meant and he said, “Well, it will show up in the work that you do.”

Let me explain.

When people ask for help to find themselves or open their gifts or find their path, he begins with a question.

“Tell me one thing that you’re good at. What have you mastered?”

There is an important reason to begin the inquiry here, because a shaman, like a Kahuna, takes a level of mastery.

“What inspires you? What do you create when no one is looking?”

His next directive? “Go Do That.”

Whatever it is that you do, put your prayers into the work. People will see the prayer in your work and it helps to reveal the gifts that you carry.

It’s Time to Look Within

It’s so interesting that we’re always trying to find meaning and significance outside of ourselves.

One of the other gentlemen in the WISN group share about his time in the Syrian refugee camps in Greece. He made me aware of the hardships people endure and reminded me we are all human. Before race, creed and culture, what is the same is our humanity.

For these people, their country of origin doesn’t want them. The country they’re now in, Greece, doesn’t really want them either.

Despite the grief and extraordinary circumstances of these camps, what he saw in the children was Hope.

Children are the bright example of harmony. They don’t care what religion you are, what language you speak or where you came from.

Children remind us that we are human. As long as we can dream and hope, we can find the source of inspiration and light the fire within again.

This is where the healing occurs.

There was a prophecy, a decree from a man named Kwahu Temoc. “In the time when the ancient teachings can’t be shared outwardly, they need to be brought back into the home. Shared from grandmother to child. Generation to Generation.”

The best way to move forward with who you are is to be strong in your connection to spirit.

Exploring your gifts becomes a meditation.

Consider the making of a lei. You spend time gathering the plants and bringing them in. While you weave the lei, you infuse your mana – your life force – into that. Time begins to reveal the gifts of you are and what you create.

Everybody’s trying to find out where they fit in and who they want to be. The truth is, when you find yourself, you find everyone. That’s how you attract a tribe of people to you and you find your place in it.

Find Your Gifts

Not everybody is here to be the shaman.

Some of us are here to be bridge builders, to make connections with people. Others are here to serve.

A shaman is a servant as well, but we don’t all have to be the teacher and instructor. Sometimes we just need to be serving our community in every way that we can.

And Mr. Makua, who traveled the world with our beautiful Auntie Mahilani Poepoe in a coalition of elders for global peace, shared that the highest is the servant.

Serving is the best thing that you can do.

We need to be cultural practitioners and restorers and healers and guardians and leaders. All of that is needed if we want to see the change in the world that is coming and is necessary.

If you want to know who you are, spend time in nature. Spend time with your elders. Take the time to create and see the wisdom that pours through you. Spend time with children and gather inspiration from the wonder that they have.

Be creative. Create art. Create a garden. Allow your gifts to emerge, and once you’ve mastered one thing, then open up to more.

We are all unique individuals with exceptional contributions, very, very specific to this journey on our planet. Each of us are needed with all of our gifts intact.

Allow your gifts to emerge and open more and more through these practices of being. As Ernesto says,

“Don’t be in the Wannabe tribe. Be in the tribe of being. The Be tribe.”

Now, it’s your turn…

What is ONE thing you will do this week to allow YOUR gifts to emerge?

Share with me in the comments below. I’m so inspired to see what you are up to in the world!

With aloha,

PS: The Month-Long Lomi Lomi Immersion is now open for enrollment. Come to Maui and learn Lomi Lomi this summer. Get all the details here!