Find your gifts to heal/help the world

This roundtable is about finding your gifts and talents and how they can help the world.

We are all self-employed and love what we do. Darrin owns with his brother a car company in Colorado, USA and is a business developing coach. Leanne is a trauma counselor in a small village in British Colombia, Canada and passionate about being of service and Andi is a self-employed german teacher in California, USA. Andi initiated this talk, because finding out what we want is such a big topic and the difficulties sometimes already start with the question: What do I even want? How can I find that out? We talk about our own situations and how we got to where we are now and also exchange practical tips and experiences that help you on your own way.

Darrin starts with a passionate talk about how we can and should make the best of our life. «We‘re only given one life and we have to make the most out of it. We are in charge of our destiny. I can do anything. If I really want to do something, I can do it. Nothing falls into your lab, nothing is easy, you have to work hard. Maximise the life that we‘ve been given. Make life enjoyable, do the best you can to be happy.»

In that sense, let‘s dive into the conversation! : )

Darrin started his car business twenty years ago when he quit his job, moved to the city where he lives today and started working with his brother and another guy. After two days he called his dad and told him, that the guy he was working with was bankrupt, he just knew it. Two weeks later that was the case and they were left with three months of rent dept for the building. Darrin and his brother decided to figure it out and to build their own business. The first two years were difficult and they didn‘t have any income, but they worked really hard and learned a lot. This experience gave Darrin the confidence to be able to do anything. He says that he has been dirt-poor not only once, but twice in his life, but he always tried hard to change something.

«You can have anyhing that you want», Darrin  

«Being able to figure out what brings me joy is a constant journey and it changes,  because we change and situations change», says Leanne. Allow yourself to keep going with whatever your routine is right now, give yourself persmission to keep going on that track, but do keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities that can and will come along.

«It‘s really empowering to know that where I am right now is part of making what‘s coming next better», Leanne

Leanne worked eight years an exciting life as an archaelogist when she experienced a life-changing moment during an excavation on a survey site. While her hand was in the dirt, she suddenly heard a voice saying «who are you helping?» She looked around but couldn‘t see anybody, she just kept hearing that voice. Soon after that her company went bad, her boss acted weird and she quit the job that she really liked and moved back in with her mother. Although being miserable over this whole new situation she kept hearing the question: «Who are you helping?» and that helped her figure out the next move.

«Finding some peace that can bring joy in the current situation can help shift things», Leanne

Andi says, that her message came from within. When she was an elementary school teacher in Switzerland, she didn‘t like the school system and was longing for a change. She wanted to be self-employed, but didn‘t know how. She knew her talents but it was still difficult to find out what exactly she wanted to do. «Go day by day, take one step in front of the other, aim at your big plan but also be open to change», that‘s her advice, that she gained from personal experience. In 2015 she and her familiy moved to California and she thought that now that she‘s self-employed she will also start earning money, but after eight months they were broke and had to move back to Switzerland, where she was able to get a job. They felt like they had completely failed. Looking back now, Andi sees, that she wasn‘t ready at that time. The first time she had a clear picture, of how it should go and be but the second time, she was open to the divine guidance and suddenly everything fell into place, every next step was shown to her and that‘s when Andi started gaining a deep trust, that everything will be fine.

«Stay flexible and always ask yourself, does this make me happy. It‘s the law of the world; by giving you‘ll receive», Andi

I always knew that I wanted to go to Japan where I met my future husband. My japanese husband said that he will move with me to Switzerland, although he didn‘t have a job at that time. On top of that we married very young at 25, but I felt that it was the right thing and it was what we wanted. Everything unfolded step by step and now I‘m just in the flow.

«You can train the decision muscle, train your brain and your feeling», Ronja

I always aks myself: «Do I want this or not». If you go on the boat ride and if you‘re riding with open eyes and a open heart, things will show up. Guy Hendricks who wrote «The Big Leap» says that there are different zones in your life and the zone you should aim for is the «zone of genius», where you make money doing what you can do and like best.

Andi asks us, how we get over obstacles. She says that at a low point in her life, she saw a documenary about how men landed on the moon and about their struggles when they didn‘t have enough oxygen to return to the earth. That‘s when she told herself: «Andi, when men can figure out how to get more oxygen to return to earth, I can figure out how to make enough money to feed my family.»

Leanne and her husband decided one and a half years ago to move out of their house in the city and into a camping trailer. They didn‘t know how long they were going to live in the trailer, they didn‘t know what they were going to work and they didn‘t know where they were going to live. The day before leaving was tough. Her husband‘s mum had health issues and Leanne got a text message from a suicidal client, who was telling her that he was standing on a bridge. Her husband rushed off to his family and she rushed off to the bridge. But in the evening they sat together by the fire, still ready and sure that they will leave the next day. Having each other was a big thing to get them through that time.

«Connecting with my wise inner self to keep me going, even though I didn‘t know what was going to happen. Being present in the moment, there is always a teaching for the future», Leanne

Darrin gets up at 4.30 every morning and has a certain morning routine. He always writes down his core beliefs that are most important to him and he writes down how he wants to be. So many things can happen, but when you know what you can focus on, that helps you get through hard times. This list gives Darrin something to focus on every day.

«When I‘m discouraged I pray, I reach out and I ask for help. What am I going to do? What‘s the next step?», Darrin

I remember a moment, where I was super overwhelmed. I was a teacher for food technologist and gradually worked less for school and more for business. When I worked only little time at the school and could have started off with my own business, I got kind of lazy, because I knew that the salary from the school is safe and keeps me alive. I always knew that I had to let that security net go to make progress with my own business. Although that was what I wanted, I panicked that I will starve and although my husband had a job and was able to support me too, my pride was stronger. At that time I had a brilliant coach who did a meditation with me. I was seeing all the balls that I was juggling at the same time and that was very exhausting. I then imagined all the balls being in a box and me taking one ball at a time out to look more closely at it. Doing this helped me to see the next steps and I was able to focus on one by one.  

Take a moment each day, stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself twenty times, that you like yourself and that you can do it. This will give you so much confidence and will change your life», Darrin

Andi reminds this of «The Neverending Story». She says that you need to believe enough in yourself, that with the little sand corn in your hand, you can build up a whole new world.

How do I find out what I want to do? Where do I start?

Darrin says that he likes the exercise, where you imagine your own funeral. It forces you to think about what the highlights in your life were, where your focus was.

I don‘t like funerals but I make a similar exercise with my clients. Imagine yourself as an old woman or man, healthy, happy and still doing what you want, sitting in a rocking chair. Look back at your fulfilled life where you achieved everything that you‘re dreaming of now and even more.

Darrin says that at the funeral of his father, he talked two hours with people who told him how his father changed their life. That‘s what he wants too. He thinks about what he wants people to say about him at his funeral.

«I want my legacy to live on and I want to be known as a nice person», Darrin

Leanne says that if you take notice of things that annoy you, of things that bubble up, like people throwing trash cans on the street, that also helps you find out where your joy comes from. And you can use that to be of service to others and the environment.

«It‘s meaningful tasks that take baby steps, we don‘t have to know the path between the end goal and where we are now. You have to be flexibe and choose to be conscious», Leanne

Andi remembers something she read, about an advice for people that don‘t know what they want to do with their life: Start noticing yourself, start connecting with yourself. Go through the day and whereever you felt good or passionate, write down what you were doing. Like playing with your kids, helping somebody out, giving someone advice.

«When I have a good feeling about something that‘s all I need to know», Andi

«Not only following the ideas and the thoughts and the goals, but following the feeling. If you‘re given two choices, go with whatever makes you feel better», Leanne

For me, my vision is like a light house in the future. «I love where I am, but I also know where I want to go. This combination is my key of joy».  

«Don‘t be shy to dream big and then enjoy your day, wherever you are», Ronja

Everybody is an expert in their own reality and life. Acknowledge that and look everyday into the mirror at yourself and tell yourself «I love you». You ARE unique and wonderful, thank you for being here!

Andi offers her expertise as an expert with the struggles she overcame herself, to help others find out what they want and how to get there. If you‘re interested, then send her an email to … to find out more.

«Push yourself, but be gentle too», Ronja

You can watch our conversation here:

Resources we talked about:

People:

• Iris Apple

Books:

• Guy Hendricks, «The Big Leap»
• Bo Eason, «There‘s No Plan B for Your A-Game»
• Stephen R. Covey «The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People»
• Michael Ende, «The Neverending Story»

Places:

• Pink Mountain, British Colombia