Offering Your Gifts To The World - April 22

Your gifts, skills, and talents are not meant to be kept hidden — they exist to be shared with the world. In today's 5 Minutes In Nature, Liz explores what it means to offer your unique abilities in service to others. Take a moment to reflect: what are your gifts, and how might you bring them into the wider world?

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Five Minutes in Nature with me Liz Scott and you join me in Solcombe. Solcombe is a town in Devon and as you know we're walking the South Hams Trail and Solcombe is our end point. We started today at Hope Cove and we've walked through very windy gusty conditions over clifftops across something called Bulbury Down and we've been buffeted by the wind. It's been extraordinary. The scenery and the waves crashing in have been spectacular. I was watching the waves crashing over some dark rocks below us and the waves were so frothy white when the wave actually spilt over the rock itself it looked like milk. It was so white and draining off the rock face and it's been invigorating and enlivening to walk today and as we've dropped down into Solcombe with it's a boating community, It's on a creek, It's quite wealthy. This is a place where people with money buy houses and come on holiday so it's very upmarket but for me looking out onto the water is what I love and just looking out onto the expanse of the creek and we're going to be crossing over tomorrow and starting on the other side at East Portalmouth and today I have been reflecting on something I read. It was something my friend said and I had it in an email and I read it this morning and it's been beautifully sort of bobbing around in my mind and it was about gifts and the question was if you've got a gift it's not a gift for you if you've got a gift it's a gift to give away. We often think about gifts as things that we have that we skills and things that we want to improve and improve the gifts that we have but this puts a completely different take on it. A gift is not something that you have it's something that you give away it's not something you keep to yourself it's something you give away and I know that sometimes for me when I reflect on gifts I reflect on skills and talents and I often think well I'm not that good at this I'm not that good a writer I'm not that good at whatever it is I'm doing there's always someone who's better than me but this quote really puts a different take on things it's like whatever my gift is it's to give into the world it's not mine to keep and I was chatting to my sister on the walk and we were just discussing this and she said well what do you think your gifts are and I said well I think I've got a gift for writing I love writing and I put that out into the world and I love recording audios and I love putting those into the world and she said and you've got a gift for listening and I was like yes I do have a gift for listening and I do love sharing that gift with others and being a good listener to others and I've also reflected on there are probably other gifts I've got that I haven't seen but I don't feel like I'm being show-offy by admitting my gifts on the contrary I feel as though I'm just owning them I'm saying yes I have a gift I might not be the best in the world but I have a gift and that is the gift I have to share and give in the world so you're probably aware the question I'm going to ask you is well what are your gifts and when you think about gifts don't think about very big skills or talents or don't compare yourself to other people these are your gifts maybe you're a good listener maybe you've got a gift of cooking or looking after a household or being a part in your community maybe you have got a talent like poetry or writing or telling jokes singing whatever your gift is don't keep it to yourself remember it's yours to give away and I'd love you to reflect and let me know what your gifts are don't hold back you're not showing off it's about being honest about what are my gifts and let me know I'd love to hear from you so today is just a reflection on what are your gifts and how might you share those gifts in the world I'll be continuing my walk tomorrow and I look forward to you joining me for another five minutes in nature then

Reviews

Yes, Liz, I’d love to listen to your talks during your long pilgrimage last year. Let me know how to find those talks. Thanks 🙏🏼

I love bringing people together and creating community. I’ve been told that this is one of my gifts. Today I take my Chair-Yoga class outside to celebrate Earth Day. After class my group will enjoy a walk around the gardens and then we will partake in a picnic lunch. It’s a lot to organize but it makes my heart so happy to do this.
Thanks Liz for sharing your gift with your delightful 5 minutes in nature 💖🙏🌻🦋

It’s taken me most all of my life to become aware that I might have something of value to offer and am just recently beginning to believe it. I enjoy writing and am pretty good at it. I’m also good at talking with people I don’t know, getting to know them, making them feel welcome and comfortable. It’s a odd skill to have maybe and I don’t know if it’s a thing of value but there it is. Also, I smile at people. And it works-they smile back!
Calynne 💐

I will think about this-both what ARE my gifts and am I sharing them…Thanks Liz!

Happy Earth Day all.

I find that people tell me more of what my gifts are. They see them as gifts and I think it is just natural nothing special. In a way it is a compliment and I am grateful for them telling me.

When I first retired because I like helping others I would do small jobs for people like mending a gate or fixing a plugged sink. Well it morphed into a business I called Our Handy Guy. It got so busy I had to hire others to help and I ended up running the business more than doing the work.

I was fortunate enough to sell it when I wanted to step back so that the people in the community were still served.

I guess acts of service are a gift of mine.

Thanks Liz you have a gift of sharing. ✌️❤️😊