“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” (Dr. Howard Thurman)
Concepts to Ponder:
- How well do you know yourself (strengths, weaknesses, etc.)?
- Have you ever really taken time to find out for yourself (ask others, observe your behaviours, write it down)?
- Are you trying to “come alive” playing someone else’s game, or using what you’ve been given to make a difference?
Picture: www.deborahaddington.com
Well, for starters, I’ve been attributing this quote incorrectly for years! I thought it was Gil Bailie but, come to find out, Bailie was quoting Thurman according to that irrefutable source, Wikipedia: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Howard_Thurman
All that said, I love this quote and recently used a 2×2 matrix of questions (supposedly from Peter Drucker) recommended by our friend Mike to try to find “what makes me come alive”. The matrix breaks things into 4 areas:
Gifted—These are things which you feel you were “born to do.”
Talented–When you do these things, you are energized by them, however they do take something out of you.
Competent–Things you do well, but you really don’t enjoy doing them.
Incompetent–Things you do not do well. You don’t like doing them and it shows.
I really liked this exercise and appreciate your help with it. Thanks for helping me know myself!