A Note on the Profound Impact of Sharing your Gifts

Many of my clients come to me because they want to live on purpose and make a contribution but they’re not sure how to do it. 

I wanted to share a story with you of a simple (but courageous) way to do just that. 

One summer when I was in University, about 25ish years ago, I worked 3 jobs. One of those jobs was at a gift shop in Bankers Hall in downtown Calgary. The wares ranged from greeting cards to high-end pens to some very unique carpet travelling bags from England. 

The customers were as varied as the items. There were the high-end oil executives, bankers (obviously), administrative staff and other people who found themselves downtown. 

Do you remember the CD collections that were offered in such stores and each selection had a corresponding button that you could press on the display so that you could hear a sample? I don’t know if those are still around (likely not since there aren’t too many CDs on the market these days). This shop had such a display and it played the brief music samples from morning to night. (It was a treat, especially on a 6-hour shift.)

One day, I was doing whatever it was I did in that shop when a woman came in and heard the music while she browsed. She told me that she was an opera singer and proceeded to give me a private performance accompanied by the music sample that was playing. (I just did a search. The song was O Mio Babbino Caro from the opera Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini. Here’s a link in case you want to hear it. The song starts at 1:07 https://youtu.be/RxZSP1Dc78Q).

I’m telling you, it was one of the most exquisite things I’ve ever heard. My heart was profoundly touched and even to this day, it’s one of my most precious memories. 

Here’s the point. When that woman came into the store and heard the CD sampler, she had a choice. She had the gift of music inside her and she could have kept it to herself, or she could have shared it. She chose to share her gift and as a result, she touched my heart so much so that decades later, it still has an impact on me. 

Is there anything that you’re keeping inside? If you reflect on it, would you be more likely to make the choice to share your gifts when the opportunity presents itself, or would you probably keep them to yourself? It’s a question worth asking. 

The next time you have the urge to share something inside you (and it will probably be a really subtle nudge), I hope you think of this beautiful opera singer and how much she touched my heart. 

Ultimately, we’re seeking connection and contribution and that comes from taking that leap and sharing what’s inside of you. May you be presented with the opportunity this week to take that leap and share one of your gifts. 

You never know… twenty-some years later your ears might turn a lovely shade of pink because someone will be sharing what a profound impact you had on their heart.

With melodious love and tremendous courage,

Christina

>Creator of Courageous Self-Care

>Thrilled that my bike is back in working order

>Also thrilled we now have a garage to store our bikes - there are so many awesome things about our new home!

PS - I’ve decided to do another month of complimentary yoga classes. If you’re part of the Body Awake Yoga Community, you’re all set - hooray! You’ll get notification emails for the live stream classes. If you haven’t joined yet and would like access to the live classes and all the recorded ones, click here to join. See the calendar below for dates and times.