Redefining Success

A person’s gift opens doors for him

There’s no doubt that having a gift – an ability that others deem valuable will do you a lot of good in this life. As Proverbs 18:16 says, ‘a person’s gift opens doors for him, bringing him access to important people’.

As I reflected on this proverb, I gained 2 lessons that have been pretty life-changing.

1. You have a responsibility to develop your gifts

The concept of being gifted is wonderful as it shows that we can walk into a room with nothing but ourselves and add value to it because the gift lives inside of us. Put simply, you are the gift. However, some of us have gifts that are either dormant or not as effective as it could be because we fail to develop it.

I have realised that fear is a common factor for people failing to develop their gifts. A lot of us fear the opinions of others and what they may say as a result of you stepping into your gifts – especially if it involves something that has never been done before. But the repercussions of failing to step into your gift are a lot worse than someone simply making fun of you. Not only do you rob yourself of true fulfilment, but it robs the people whose betterment is connected to your gift. As my good friend once said: “stop thinking everything’s cringe – be audacious!”

So, once you have recognised your gift – whether that is public speaking, fashion design, business and/or cooking, the onus is on you to develop it. This could look like practicing presentations in your bedroom, offering to style your friends or speaking to those who are running a successful business. Yes, you may have a natural talent for these things but having natural talent does not automatically make it a gift. Your talent becomes a gift when it becomes effective enough to positively impact others. This can only happen through development.

2. Your gift is not about you (imagine!)

We live in quite a self-centred world to say the least. This means that we often think about our gifts in terms of ourselves and the acclaim it could bring us. Whilst it’s not a negative thing for a gift to give you access to ‘important people’, that is not where it should end.

What will you do with your access? Will the access make your gift more valuable to others? A more modern way of saying this is: how will you handle your influence? A lot of us want influence (again, that desire for acclaim and status), but fail to realise that influence is to position you to serve others better. It’s not about you.

As human beings I don’t actually think that we get maximum fulfilment from the status and acclaim that being gifted brings. Rather, it’s in the offering of that gift to others and watching their eyes light up as they receive it, that we are fulfilled. This means that being gifted in itself does not guarantee a successful life – the success is in the giving.

Make it practical:
• Recognise your gift
• Find opportunities around you to develop your gift
• Offer your gift in service to those around you 

We all have something of value to offer to the world – a gift

The world is not short of the gifted and talented, but of those who are willing to develop those gifts and offer it in service.

Jesus said it best when He reminded his earthly parents of why He came to the earth: “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). He recognised that His gift was not about Him but about using it to complete ‘[His] Father’s business’. The fame and applause were a product of his effectiveness, not his motivation. Your gift is not about you. True fulfilment doesn’t come from it being about you.

Further reading

• Bible Gateway, Proverbs 18:16
• Bible Gateway, Luke 2:49
• Redefining Success, ‘Doing something that has never been done before – the act of a pioneer’
• Saved Not Soft, ‘The Responsibility Of Influence’