Inspiring Change with Your Unique Gifts
“When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.” -Dalai Lama
Hard pill to swallow, right? I know. Me, too. How are people feeling after the election? For me, it began with shock, moved into anger and rage, settled somewhere between disappointment and sadness.
Today, I came upon a realization. The recent election results have taught me that I’ve got a life lesson to learn: to not give my power away.
Throughout my life, I’ve given my power away over and over again. In relationships. Any time I’ve pointed a finger. Any time I’ve not accepted an outcome, and tried to force things to go my way. For nearly 42 years, my powerlessness came in the form of gender dysphoria. Being in such strong denial of my true gender, maybe because of fear of the outside world’s impressions, what my family might say, and thanks to years of imposter syndrome, I remained hidden out of immense fear. All of these are examples of ways I’ve given away my power to some external force beyond my control.
I do not blame myself for this, nor am I upset with myself in any way. This is just how my life was for so long. It took until recently for me to figure out in what ways I was giving my power away. All the times I focus my attention on what others are or are not doing. All the times I wish for things to be different. Times I ruminate on the future or the past, I am giving away the power I have in the present moment.
It makes me think of Bray Hoffman, the protagonist in the Sentient series. Only seventeen years old. Held captive in a psychiatric ward because her parents believe she is schizophrenic. No one believes her. No one believes that she has a special power. In the beginning, she barely believes it herself. There is so much that has happened that is beyond her control. So many powers outside of her keeping her trapped away from living to her truest potential.
But Bray does not give up. Despite her age, her situation, and the reality that her parents and no one else support her, she finds a way. She finds a way because she believes in her gift just enough to try and help others. Regardless of outcomes, she does not give up. And maybe that is her greatest super power: that she never stops trying.
What does Bray have to do with the election results? Like Bray, each of us has IMMEASURABLE POWER. Gifts to help ourselves and others. Believe in your power. Believe in your capacity to change the world, one day at a time, one person at a time.
Here are some ways to consider using your gifts to inspire change:
- Get involved in local community. Build IN PERSON connections. One theory is that one reason the election turned out the way it did is because one group of voters were a lot more organized than the other. I agree with this 100%. If change is going to happen, we need to find some local communities, whether it’s an affirming church, meditation center, LGBTQ+ support group, to get involved with.
- Take stock of your strengths. For Bray, she knew her one strength was her ability to communicate with animals and to feel their pain. Once she fully embraced that gift, she quickly learned she was even more powerful, that she could also use it to save animals. Take some time to journal about your strengths, and that might lead you to more ways to help. Are you wealthy? Give money to local organizations that can help others. That is a gift. Are you a lawyer or a therapist who can maybe offer some pro bono services? Do you love to organize? Maybe you can organize some local gatherings that bring people together. There are countless ways to use strengths to help people who may be negatively impacted by the election.
- Consider talking to someone outside your usual social circle. Perhaps even someone different than you, who has slightly different views. If you’re someone who likes to socialize, maybe you have a gift to sit and listen to someone talk about their viewpoints in a non-judgmental way, and to help someone feel heard while challenging your own perceptions and concepts.
- Get creative. If you’re a creative type like myself, maybe now is the time to write that book, that blog, or that poem. Creative gifts can help inspire others to action, can offer an emotion or a way for others to process their own emotions.
What am I missing? What other things can we add to this list? Let’s build on it, shall we? Feel free to leave a comment. What are your gifts? Your strengths? How can we use one another’s gifts to inspire change?