Multipliers: The Strengths You Forgot You Have

🍁 This post is part of a November series called Multipliers. It’s about how gratitude doesn’t just feel good, it grows your confidence. (Part 1, Part 2)

It’s the summer of 2020.

COVID is everywhere. People have lost jobs and loved ones. Political unrest is rampant. And I’m burnt out from conversations.

I was driving to my parents’ house when a phone call came in from a friend.

A good friend. But the kind of conversation that requires energy. The phone kept ringing and my anxiety rose.

I had nothing left to give.

🎮 Cheat Code: The Recharge

We often think we’re too tapped out to give anything.

And sometimes that’s true, rest is needed.

But even though we see giving as loss, using our strengths to help others reminds us we have them. It recharges your confidence.

Here’s how to recharge by giving.

1. Find your gift. Write down a strength, skill, or insight you have & why you’re grateful for it
2. Name your recipient. Name one person who needs what you have
3. Give it. Share knowledge online. Teach something you’re good at. Meet a friend who needs support.

Before you do it, you’ll say three things:

I don’t have time.
I don’t have energy.
My emotional battery is done.

But afterwards, your language changes.

I’m glad I helped.
I know more than I thought.
I might actually be good at this.

It’s a win-win.

⭐ Win of the Week

I let the phone ring until it almost hit voicemail.

I figured I was close to my parents’ house and could use that as my out, so I finally picked up.

My friend was going through it at work and in their personal life. So I just listened. I always forget how much people need that.

I don’t remember giving any groundbreaking advice. I don’t remember any big appreciation. Nothing memorable happened.

But when I arrived at my parents house, I felt something else.

Joy. The one that comes from giving a gift I forgot I have.

Your Turn

Giving can feel like losing. But when we use our gifts to help others, it recharges our confidence. We remember how much we have.

So find your gift. Name your recipient. Share your strength. It’s a confidence multiplier.

Love,

-T.O.