Your Gifts


 

“To find out what one is fitted to do, and to secure an opportunity to do it, is the key to happiness.”

— John Dewey

 



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Katherine Johnson was already a math whiz when she started high school at age 13. She honed that gift into a superpower and in 1962 used her math skills to help the United States win the space race.

 

“If she says they’re good,” said astronaut John Glenn, referring to the complex flight calculations Johnson had checked by hand, “then I’m ready to go.”

 

So gifted was Katherine Johnson that astronauts trusted her math prowess over a computer. She used her gift to launch a human into space and bring him safely back to Earth.

 

How will you use yours?


The Inner Circle.


To uncover your gifts, consult your Inner Circle. Your close friends, immediate family, peers and mentors.

 

  1. Notify five people (via text, phone, or in person) that you'll be emailing them one important question.
  2. Copy, personalize, and send the Inner Circle Email Template for each recipient.



  • Examples

    Inner Circle Template


    Subject: Help Me Uncover My Gifts


    Dear [Name]:


    [Personalized opening]


    Five minutes of your time could change my life. Can you answer this question: 


    What are the things I do best? 


    Please be specific and try to avoid traits. For example: “Creative” is vague while “A photographer's eye for framing, angles, and details” is specific. 


    Thank you so much for your help with this. I need this for a deadline in two days. I will follow up then, if I’ve not heard from you. 


    Sincerely,

    [Your Name]




    Example 


    Subject: Help Me Uncover My Gifts


    Dear Danny:


    Happy fall. Here’s hoping you and Shannon are finding plenty of time to hike the trails. I can’t wait to join you during the holidays. In the meantime though ...


    Five minutes of your time could change my life. Can you answer this question: 


    What are the things I do best? 


    Please be specific and try to avoid traits. For example: “Creative” is vague while “A photographer's eye for framing, angles, and details” is specific. 


    Thank you so much for your help with this. I need this for a deadline in two days. I will follow up then, if I’ve not heard from you.


    Sincerely,

    Sylvia



  • Tips

    ● Personalizing for each recipient and changing the wording to fit your voice will make your email more impactful.

    ● If needed, send a follow-up email to request more specificity. It may help to ask for an example of a time that person recalls witnessing your gift in action. 


  • Know More

    How did Katherine Johnson and her colleagues use their gifts to help The United States win the space race? Watch or read Hidden Figures to find out. 

    ________________________________________

    How can you make sure your emails give the right impression? This Harvard Business Review article helps answer that question. 



The Outsider.

Seek another perspective on your gifts.


1.    Take this skills assessment. It will take approximately 15 minutes.

Note: You only need the score summary from the free test (no need to purchase the full report).

2.    List your Top 3 Career Matches from your results or take a screenshot.



  • Examples


  • Tips

    ● Typing your letter on a computer first might help you get started.

    ● Thoughtful gifts require thoughtful planning, so be sure to include specific anecdotes and details that communicate what you appreciate about the person. 

    ● Writing your letter from beginning to end is unnecessary. Constructing your letter out of order can help clarify transitions between phrases and emotions. 

    ● Since you will give away this letter, take a picture where the words are legible as a personal keepsake. Alternatively, type a digital copy to save in your files. 


  • Know More

    Gratitude letter writers usually underestimate what a recipient will value. Writers overly prioritize words and sentence structure while recipients “tend to evaluate things on the basis of warmth and prosocial intent,” says Amit Kumar, a professor who studied the effects of gratitude letters.


    “As long as somebody’s expression is sincere and warm and friendly, recipients are often going to have a very positive reaction to that,” he added.  


    (One study found recipients usually rated the letters more articulate and warm than the writers expected they would.).

    ________________________________________

    "In this day and age, a handwritten note is something that people really feel is special,” says John Kralik, who wrote a thank you note every day for one year. 


    Read his 10 tips for writing the perfect thank you note or read an excerpt from his book 365 Thank Yous: The Year A Simple Act Of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life. 

    ________________________________________

    Writing a gratitude letter provides serious mental health benefits, a 2017 Berkeley study found. The practice can even rewire your brain, scientists discovered, producing “greater neural sensitivity in the medial prefrontal cortex, a brain area associated with learning and decision making.” 

    ________________________________________

    Famous people write gratitude letters, too.


Your Order.

You’ve received your Inner Circle responses and Outsider assessment results. Now. Refine your list and discover the payoff for excellence.


  1. List the 3 gifts you most agree with from your Inner Circle responses.
  2. Complete Your Order Table:

a.    Enter your Top 3 Careers. Use the results from your quiz and/or add your own.

b.    Enter the average salary and the high salary for each career using SalaryList.

c.    Rank the careers based on the best fit for your gifts.

d.    Rank the careers based on which you find most interesting.


Career Salary (Avg) Salary (High) Best Fit (Gifts) Best Fit (Interest)
:
:
:
:


3. Thank your Inner Circle. Copy, personalize, and send the Thank You Email Template.


Your Order table is the challenge evidence you will submit with your Deal.


The Truth.


“Like what you do, and then you will do your best.”
— Katherine Johnson

 

A few questions to consider. As you continue with your day.

1.    Did the gifts named by The Inner Circle surprise you? Or confirm what you know?

2.    What was the most surprising gift named by The Inner Circle? How so?

3.    What do you most agree and disagree with from The Outsider assessment? Why?

4.    What compels you most: finding a career you love or a career that will make you rich?


And now.


I leave you here.