Welcome back to my new series, 31 Days Of Purpose! If you are just joining in, you can find all of previous challenges here!
Does serving others make you uncomfortable? Maybe that’s because you aren’t doing the right type of service!
If I asked you to think about 3 of your best friends and to name 5 talents or gifts that they have, how long would it take you?
In other words, what are 5 things you admire about each of these friends? Do you admire her gift of how her home is neat and organized, her fashion sense in clothing or decorating, how she applies make up or does her hair, makes time to exercise, her beautiful garden, her relationships with others, that she has a heart for volunteering or how her kids all have excellent manners?
I’m guessing you could easily complete this list in less than 5 minutes.
How would you feel if a friend complimented you on any of these talents?
My guess is that it’d make you feel pretty good! I also would guess that if your friend asked you for some tips on how you do something with your gifts and talents, you’d be happy to share some with her!
But if you didn’t know she admired gifts and talents, would you still share your tips?
What if our goals of serving others revolved around helping other people reach their goals?
When you are serving (helping others) with your gifts and talents (organizing a closet in 5 minutes, making the best chocolate cupcakes, or hosting fun gatherings) the service doesn’t feel like work or a “service project” because you are doing what you are naturally good at and most likely something you are passionate about!
Instead of it feeling like a service project, you will experience joy.
This is the easiest way to serve others because you are using your gifts and talents!
One of the reasons I had you list out your passions, strengths, and values is because if you don’t know what they are, you probably aren’t using them in regards to service projects. (If you are still having trouble with your strengths and talents, one easy way to find them out is to simply ask a few people who know you well!)
Service projects don’t have to be uncomfortable or stressful, they are meant to be completed with joy.
However, it can awkward for people to ask for help so I have a fun social media challenge for you! (And I’m using it as a social media challenge because it’s the easiest way to reach a lot of the people you care about at one time. If you aren’t on social media, you can still participate in this project as well, you will just need to text or make some phone calls! I would still encourage you to try it out!)
Let’s pretend your one of your strengths is organization and decorating, so in your status (whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever platform you like) you type something like this, “Hi friends! You all know how much I love to decorate and get my home ready for the holidays. I just wanted to let you know that I’d love to help you (for FREE) get your home glammed up for the holidays! I know it sounds crazy, but I’d love decorating for the holidays and it would be so much fun to help out a friend! If you would like my help, just hit “LIKE” on this status and I’ll contact you to get started!
This would also work if you enjoy holiday baking, if you love to clean (I have friends that do…really!), or love to shop! The holidays are coming and many people would rather not do those type of activities or would at least love some help with them!
Wouldn’t you like it if someone offered to help you with an area of your life that isn’t a top strength (for FREE)? I would!
A different challenge you could try is a strength exchange of offering your strength on Facebook and asking for some help in return doing a task that you aren’t good at. For example, I’d love to have someone come in and help me organize my new kitchen when we move in exchange for some freezer meals to put in their freezer. I know that for some of my friends who are busy rushing around from one activity to another, a week’s worth of freezer meals would be a fantastic trade for the use of their organizational skills!
For fun, what are 2 strengths or talents you could offer in your Facebook challenge? Let’s help each other out focus on our strengths!
Have you enjoyed what you read here today? Do you have friends or other women you know that could benefit from this resource? If so, please do me a favor! I have included the links below to share with other intentional women! They’ll be glad you did!
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