Who am i then?

I can not cook.  I don’t garden.  I am not an artist.  I am certainly no athlete.  Then who am I?  Sometimes I wonder who I am.   Today though, as I was sitting in an audience at a Global Leadership Summit, I realized who I am.  I am a “joy-ologist” !  I am the CIO of my family & friends = Chief Inspiration Officer!  HaHa, I love my new titles that I bestowed upon myself.

Seriously though.  I realized I may not be a cook in the kitchen, but in life…I know what ingredients make a successful treat.  Kindness, Compassion, Joy, Love, Grace…add these to any situation and a feast you will enjoy.

My backyard garden may be no Arboretum, but I do regularly weed out the unwanted in my life.  I do add fertilizer and tend to the new buds of friendship, opportunity.  I do regularly prune the things  that are not growing or do not provide  life and beauty.  I weed away complaints, negative people.  I do water my seeds that have been planted by reading inspirational books, listening to powerful music, and laughing with loved ones.  Yes, my garden blooms!!

I have never been an artist on paper!   Yet I constantly line my life with colorful people, emotional textures, and try to use different mediums to create my own masterpieces.  I blend, I smudge, I erase, I cut, I paste… I am always working on my creation.  Sometimes it’s lots of red ~excitement, passion… sometimes it’s blue~ sensitive, calm… sometimes it’s hot pink ~ alive!  I love creating my own artistic, personal masterpiece.

Finally, I realize that I may be no athlete, but I do constantly try to strengthen my weak spots.  I am always working hard to be better, stronger, kinder.  I try to build upon my speed of forgiveness and grace.  I look into using a great coach to help me move forward, be stronger, and faster… faster to love, faster to laugh, faster to share my passion.

Yes, it’s true, I may not cook in the kitchen – but in life I know what combination of  ingredients will sizzle.  I may not garden in my yard, but a landscaping life artist I am…I may not be an artist on paper, but on my canvas of life I constantly impress myself… and sure enough you may beat me at most sports, but I challenge any of you to beat me at the game of joy!  I’m ready!

So in closing this blog, I ask… What ingredients do you cook with?  What blooms in your garden?  What colors do you paint with?  What sports are you good at???

I challenge you to look at all the skills you are using daily… What tools are in your tool box?  Where do you shine?  What can you say you are good at???  I know we all have our talents and gifts and I bet yours are AMAZING!