Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success: Discovering Your Gift and the Way to Life's Riches (6 page)

Your gift is something that is connected to you whether you are working or vacationing, whether you are with the family or even all alone. Your gift cannot be taken because of downsizing or given to you because someone creates a job description. Your gift exists because you do.

I have come to learn that no single job would ever contain my gift. My gift and your gift are bigger than a single job. I was so preoccupied with getting gigs that I didn't realize that my gift to make people laugh was not about a comedy stage. I have been able to move beyond the “job” I thought was my gift and truly see my unique gift make room for me on radio, TV, movies, and, yes, even in books. Notice that when I'm on the radio, I'm making people laugh. When I'm doing my television show, I'm making people laugh. When I'm hosting
Family Feud
, I'm making people laugh. My gift is always with me, and I use it to increase my success.

If you are a driver, I don't want you to get hung up on “I drive well, so I'll drive for a company.” No, your gift is driving, but the right vehicle for your gift may not be driving for a company; it depends on what will give you the most satisfaction. You could be one of the greatest drivers in any area and in any field if driving truly is your gift. You will have the ability to become incredibly successful with your gift driving. I guarantee you that it will be more exciting for you to wake up in the morning and drive for yourself or spend your day developing younger drivers who will work for you. Or maybe the right vehicle for your gift will be providing transportation for your local church or the elderly members of your community. See, your gift doesn't have to become a profession. It could be something that you do on a volunteer basis to serve your community. If serving brings you pleasure, you are already rewarded by the joy it brings into your life.

Your gift may be to serve. Your whole life, people have told you that the only place your gift makes sense is at church or in the nonprofit sector. Well, that may be the place for you to thrive or the place to which you feel called.

There is a huge service industry. I can't tell you how many service people, from the door to the executive office, make my life better in hotels, restaurants, spas, and event venues. You could one day own your own hotel or be the general manager of the best restaurant in your city. All it takes is the gift of service you have to allow you to make people's lives more enjoyable.

Passion is a strong emotion associated with something you do. Passion is the emotion, but it is never the gift. Some people are not passionate about their gift because they have not yet given themselves the room to actually walk in it yet. I want you to have passion for your gift as you learn to acknowledge it and perfect it, but do not confuse the passion you have for something else as your gift.

Finally, your gift is not your talents. In fact, what we do well sometimes blocks us from finding out what we do great. I think of talents as the lesser to one's gift. Talents can be learned while a gift is inherent. Your gift cannot be studied by another and then performed at the same proficiency. However, our talents often lead us to exercising our gift.

Use your talents, but know that it will be your gift that puts you in the presence of great people. Proverbs 18:16 says, “Your gift will make room for you and put you in the presence of great men.”

After you identify your gift and decide to use it, your gift will lead to the fulfillment of your life's purpose and mission. Presented before you will be a wonderful opportunity to live a life of riches. Your success will be tied to the gift that you were freely given on the day you were born. Your gift will unlock all of the mysteries of your life. Your mission, your purpose, and your destiny will all be tied to one thing—
your gift
. I guarantee that your whole life will have new meaning and direction when you recognize your gift and decide upon the most valuable way to use it.

Take a minute to answer the following questions to help you identify your gift.

1.
    
What is the thing that you do at your absolute best with the least amount of effort?

2.
    
What is that one gift that other people associate with you? Why?

3.
    
If you followed the advice of these other people, how have you utilized your gift?

S
teve Jobs was truly one of the greatest American innovators of the last thirty years. He was a master at creating technology that you didn't even know you needed until he showed you how it would revolutionize your life. Every time you enter an Apple store and open a box with the Apple logo on it, you know that you will get a little bit of that Steve Jobs magic in your hands.

Steve Jobs had a gift for seeing technology in ways that actually changed the way we live our lives. Some of you are even addicted to your iPhones and iPads.

The ability to innovate and transform technology was both Steve Jobs's gift and the mark that he left on the world. This combination of using your gift and infusing it with your personal skills and talents is what I call your gift mark.

Similar to a trademark, your gift mark is the stamp that you leave on the world every time you use your God-given talents and skills at your highest capacity. You know without a doubt what to expect every time you purchase a box with an Apple logo or sit behind the wheel of a car with that BMW insignia. Your gift mark should be what people come to expect
every
time they hire you or ask you to be part of their team. Your gift mark is the flavor you add to your gift, showing the world that it has your DNA in it. When you sit down at the table, people know that they will receive your gift in just the way that only you can deliver it.

If you are an event planner, someone should be able to come into one of your get-togethers and immediately see your gift mark expressed in the manner in which your table settings are displayed, or reflected in the warm lighting in the room. If you are a life coach, someone should be able to see a unique transformation in the business and personal lives of your clients that reflects your special energy. Your gift mark is what will separate you from the pack.

You can have two barbers who know how to do a mean shape-up. But the difference between the one who has clients lining up to get into his chair and the one who can't keep a chair is the gift mark. The good barber's gift mark could be as simple as knowing how to connect with one customer or remembering that another customer's son has a sensitive scalp.

Once you uncover your gift, find that distinctive touch that will make your gift stand out and shine. What you do with your gift is completely up to you. I recommend that you harness it to share with the world in a variety of ways.

It is never too late to embrace your gift. I recognize that most people, even you, are just a few steps away from the start of turning what could have been into what can be.

After you have identified your gift, you need to look around you to discover the right vehicle for your gift. The right vehicle will give you the transportation you need to navigate your journey and advance you into your future. As you begin to search for the right outlets for your gift, you will realize that they are everywhere around you. The people who are truly successful use the vehicle that is right for today to work toward the next upgrade that will lead to an even higher rung of success.

What I loved most about Beyoncé's self-titled surprise digital release was not the music. It wasn't that she shocked the world and just decided to forgo all the typical marketing and promotions and just drop it like . . .
Pow!
I loved that it was full of images of Beyoncé the child singer, and the road she took to become Beyoncé the stadium filler. There is a clip of her in a group called Girls Tyme. In a competition, they lost to a boys' band no one ever heard of again. In this day and age, when stars, business moguls, and even athletes pretend that they became hits overnight, it deceives people into believing they have to connect their gift to a million-dollar vehicle immediately. Most people never heard of Girls Tyme, but that was just
one
of the vehicles Beyoncé used before Destiny's Child, before Sasha Fierce, and before Mrs. Carter. Beyoncé used the vehicle that was available to her at the moment to work toward the next opportunity of her lifetime.

You do not have to bog down your journey by trying to find a vehicle that will get you all the way to your final destination. The first vehicle that you initially attach yourself to may not be the one that finishes your journey. Simply attach yourself to a vehicle that gets your gift into motion. Think about this in terms of traveling on a city bus from one location to the next. Often you have to get a transfer in order to complete the journey. You will then be led to another transfer, which will take you to your second vehicle.

I didn't attach my gift to a vehicle called being a comedian until I was nearly thirty years old. My first endeavor was a free amateur night. My next trip was a paying gig for twenty-five dollars. Now, a twenty-five-dollar vehicle certainly could not get me to the level I am at today. But it was a start. The transfer came when I became a featuring act, which took me from $350 per week to $750 per week.

The next transfer I caught led me to be a national headliner earning anywhere from $1,500 a week in small comedy clubs to upwards of $60,000 in larger venues. My next transfer led me to a lifestyle of earning $25,000 per night.

My next transfer led me to become the host of
Showtime at the Apollo
. From there, that venture gave me national TV exposure, which then led to a TV show called
Me and the Boys
. That show then led me to
The Steve Harvey Show
. After that, I became one of the original Kings of Comedy. That platform propelled me into the stratosphere of what I set out to be in the first place—one of the premier stand-up comedians in the country.

Are you so busy looking for the luxury vehicle now that your new budget gift can't afford it? I need you to be open to connecting to a vehicle that complements the current level of your gift and can move you to the next level. That means begin now, where you are. Where can you start today to begin the journey? What simple steps or vehicle can you attach yourself to?

Let's say you are a hairdresser. Can you start by doing hair in your kitchen? Can you move up to get a booth or a chair at a local salon? Are you willing to do the work to get your cosmetology license? Are you willing to learn under somebody who knows more than you do? Don't ever be afraid to put yourself in a lesser position so that you can learn something from someone who knows more. No one can teach you more than someone who has already been there.

You're not Vidal Sassoon at this point, but you are well on your way. Keep working and catch another transfer. Get a better chair at a better salon. Get another transfer and get into partnership with another girl or guy. Catch another transfer. Start a small storefront salon. Catch another transfer. Get more chairs in your salon. Catch another transfer. Start renting out booth space in your salon. As my father used to say, “Inch by inch everything is a cinch.”

If you are a truck driver and your dream is to own a fleet of trucks, you can't wait until someone gives you the money to purchase your first fleet. Initially, you have to get your commercial driver's license. After you get your chauffeur's license, then you can begin driving on a local level. Then you can begin driving on an interstate level.

Once your start building up your cash, you can save to purchase your first truck. After you get that first truck and become known for being a driver who delivers on time, you have to think about buying another truck and hiring another driver. Your dream is right on track. You just keep purchasing transfers from one vehicle to the next. Before you know it, you've got ten trucks on the road and your dream of owning your own interstate transportation company becomes a reality.

If your dream is to be a chef, start cooking for your family. Talk to people who are looking to do special family events but who can't yet afford an expensive caterer. Volunteer to cook at an assisted-living center in the area, or create a program at the local middle school to teach kids to cook. Who knows, you may get on the local news for what you are doing with the kids. Your appearance could be an opportunity for you to share your vision with the world. Those local vehicles are the perfect places to get started.

I personally know the gentleman who creates the floral arrangements for the Four Seasons hotels throughout the world. He didn't start his career flying from New York to Paris to Dubai to share his gift for arranging flowers. That gift started by working in a much smaller hotel that didn't really appreciate the talent that he brought to their staff. But he didn't let their lack of appreciation stop him from doing what he was called to do. Before he knew it, someone saw one of his creations and gave him the opportunity to design the arrangements for the Four Seasons, and now he also prepares floral arrangements for the Grammys and
The Queen Latifah Show
.

Just because you sing well doesn't mean that you have to use your gift to become the next Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. Having the ability to make people laugh doesn't mean you need to be a stand-up comic. If you've seen the Academy Award–winning documentary
20 Feet from Stardom
, you know that the greatest voices of our generation tore up the stage as background singers for some of the biggest performers in the world. And the best comics aren't always the ones in front of the mike; they are often the ones behind the scenes writing the jokes.

Your gift might be to teach, and you've avoided going down the path because most classroom teachers aren't paid what they're worth. But who said you have to teach in a classroom? Motivational speaker Lisa Nichols is also a teacher, and she empowers sold-out crowds all over the country. Tony Robbins is a teacher, and I know most of you wouldn't mind having a piece of his educator paycheck. Finding the right vehicle for your gift will be the key to moving your gift from a dream to a reality. Both Lisa and Tony realized that they have to create their own paths, not let someone else create them, and not fall back on what the generation before them did.