How can you help clients set goals based on their natural gifts?

Natural gifts can be so natural and integrated into the life of a client that they miss the fact that they are in fact gifts. As a coach, getting to know my client and how he or she navigates life can give me clues into their unique gifts and talents. My curiosity and asking good questions can allow my client to recognize those gifts.

Natural gifts are things we all have, that often show when we are babies/children. Unfortunately unless we are guided and allowed to explore those gifts they tend to get forgotten until we are older and start looking for them. There are many ways to remember your natural gifts including looking at what you enjoyed doing as a child, what you were good at, contacting coaches and spiritual practitioners, listening to online guided meditations. When I see a client I often take them to a past life where they had/used natural gifts, then take them to the future where they use these gifts (or find new ones) before bringing them back to present knowing what these gift are. The most important thing is to then practice and use these gifts every day.

To guide my clients in setting goals aligned with their natural gifts, we envision their ideal legacy. Through a unique exercise, they imagine a celebration of their achievements, with someone close delivering a commendation speech. They detail: 1. The speech content. 2. Sights and sounds of their goal attainment at the ceremony. 3. Words exchanged by well-wishers. 4. Their emotional state in the celebratory moment. 5. Their pride in their accomplishment(s). This future visioning and adopting an outsider's viewpoint, proves effective in shaping and realising meaningful goals.

Natural gifts are the inborn talents and strengths that set us apart. They're the untaught capabilities that flow effortlessly, whether it's the artist's innate ability to paint, the intuitive's deep sense of empathy, or the thinker's analytical prowess. These gifts, often seamlessly intertwined with our passions, play pivotal roles in our hobbies and careers. Recognizing and harnessing these natural endowments not only enhance personal satisfaction but also contribute significantly to our communities. They are our unique contribution to the tapestry of human existence, and when nurtured, they can lead to profound impact.

Natural gifts are attributes, tendencies or actions that come natural to or energize a person. I like to recommend people leverage tools such as Gallup’s StrengthFinder, or 360 Feedback at work to help identify their natural strengths. By leaning into your strengths more, you could live a more mind-heart aligned life vs being frustrated in areas that take you more effort.

There is so much pressure in society (that starts in the schooling system) to be good at a wide range of skills. There are areas however where we all have natural strengths and interests. We often think we need to get better at the the thing we’re not so good at, but what if we were to throw our focus instead into becoming really good at the skills we’re already strong at? Surely there is even better chance of success?

Natural gifts are the innate treasures that define your one-of-a-kind essence. They're not skills acquired but rather the extraordinary qualities you were born with. These unique gifts include creativity, empathy, leadership, communication, and analytical thinking. Your life becomes a canvas, and these gifts are the vibrant colours you use to create a masterpiece. They infuse your passions, pursuits, and connections with an irreplaceable beauty. A self-reflective invitation that I have found useful is to write about a recent achievement or success, no matter how small. What did you learn from this experience, and how can it inspire your future goals?

Natural gifts act as a compass guiding us towards authentic and fulfilling paths. Leveraging these innate strengths in goal setting ensures not only alignment with our core selves but also optimizes the chances of success. After all, working with our strengths rather than against them streamlines our efforts. Setting goals that resonate with our natural talents boosts enthusiasm, ensures consistency, and leads to genuine achievements. Conversely, forcing oneself into an ill-fitting mold can be draining and counterproductive. Recognizing and honoring our unique gifts is essential for genuine success and contentment.

Aunque es importante alinear los dones naturales a los objetivos, también es importante resaltar que no existe, o al menos yo no conozco, ningun objetivo que se logre haciendo solo lo que nos gusta o para lo que somos buenos, hay que tomar en cuenta las acciones “incómodas” que debemos tomar para alcanzar el objetivo, y generar estrategias para poderlas llevar a cabo.

It's important to honor our own humanity. Setting goals based on our natural gifts is the only way to ensure the success people are typically looking for. What I mean by that is this: When people envision their ideal life (or reaching the fulfillment of their goal), typically what they're really interested in is how they imagine they'll *feel* in that particular scenario. (Peaceful, contented, successful, respected, and so on.) Goal setting without consideration for natural gifts will ensure that the feeling that your client is looking for ... will continue to be out of reach -- because the goal doesn't align with who they actually are as a person.

If you are interested working on your gifts through feedback, here is an exercise for you: 1. Choose 5 people you trust. It's important that the person is supportive, honest, and understands you. 2. Contact these people and tell them about the purpose: "I'm doing a project to discover my gifts and talents. Will you help me? I would like to ask you some questions." 4. Make 5 separate meetings in a calm place. Record the meeting - you want to listen to this again. Pay attention to the voice, expression of the face. 5. During the interview, ask the following: - what are my talents and gifts as you see them? what am I doing well? - what am I not seeing? how do I tend to self-sabotage myself? 6. Reflect on the answers you got.

The GIFT framework is an insightful approach to self-awareness. By starting with gratitude, we can lay the foundation of positive self-reflection. Drawing inspiration from others helps us identify the traits and skills we value. Feedback, often overlooked, provides external validation and can offer clarity about our strengths. Finally, trial and error is a tried-and-true method to truly understand and hone our gifts. In essence, understanding one's natural gifts is a journey of introspection and exploration. When we align our pursuits with these innate talents, we set ourselves up for genuine success and satisfaction.

The GIFT method is a good framework to aid clients into discovering natural gifts. I often take a simplified approach by asking my clients the following questions: 1. What lights you up? 2. When you think of your happiest moments, what were you doing? 3. What would you do even if you aren't paid for it? 4. What are activities in your life that you feel that you must do to be fulfilled? 5. What is your role in your family? 6. What are the things that people tend to come to you for? In thinking through these questions, my clients begin to see what they have a natural affinity for and what attributes or talents others attribute to them. Both insights guide towards natural gifts.

I like to guide my clients through two questions: - Recall moments where they're doing things and time passes by really quickly - when they're in a flow state - Recall moments where others have complimented them for doing well at something (even though they feel like it's no big deal) Often, their natural gifts do not feel like it's a big deal because it comes so naturally to them.

In my experience, the book Strengths Finder 2.0 is a brilliant resource for identifying strengths. There is an assessment and ideas to maximise on strengths.

Alternative is the"CREATE" Method: CLARITY: Begin by gaining a clear understanding of your natural gifts and how they align with your values and life's purpose. RELEVANCE: Ensure that your goals are relevant to your unique set of talents and strengths. EXPRESSION: Craft goals that let your talents shine and harness your strengths to achieve them. ADAPTABILITY: Recognize that your natural gifts may evolve over time, and your goals should be adaptable. Be open to adjusting your goals as you continue to discover new aspects of your abilities. TIMING: Instead of rigid time-bound goals, consider milestones for an organic progression. ENJOYMENT: Make sure your goals bring you joy and a sense of fulfillment.

Utilizing your natural gifts to set goals is a powerful approach, ensuring alignment with your core strengths. By prioritizing and integrating your unique abilities into your aspirations, you not only set yourself up for success but also for genuine fulfillment. The SMART criteria further refines your direction, ensuring your goals are actionable and achievable. Periodic reviews keep you on track, and celebrating milestones fuels motivation. In essence, aligning goals with our innate talents amplifies our potential and enriches our journey toward achieving them. Embrace your gifts, and let them guide your aspirations.

After identifying natural gifts, you want to set goals that are closely aligned to them. Successful goal setting involves a combination of long-term vision and measurable short-term milestones. First, encourage your clients to articulate their long-term vision; this could be a combination of professional and personal pursuits. Once the vision is clear, break it down into short-term milestones and achievable goals. These goals should align with natural strengths and support progress towards their long-term vision.

Bringing focus to "natural gifts" is an interesting idea, but that can fall short as well. We don't always see what we can do easily or creatively as a gift, and can easily toss our gifts to the "mundane" pile. As far as alignment, that's more about our values and early training/programming, not our gifts.

Guiding clients to harness their innate abilities is paramount for genuine success. Using the GIFT framework, a coach facilitates introspection, helping clients tap into their genuine strengths. By creating a safe space for exploration and using open-ended questions, clients are empowered to acknowledge and embrace their gifts. Authentic listening and affirmation foster self-belief, while structured action plans provide a roadmap. Periodic feedback ensures adaptation and alignment with their core gifts. This approach not only ensures that goals are attainable but also deeply resonant, paving the way for fulfilling progress and success.

Helping clients set goals based on their natural gifts involves a process of identifying their strengths, talents, and passions, and aligning them with meaningful and achievable objectives. Here are the 12 steps I follow in assisting my clients in this process: 1- Self-assessment 2- Clarifying values and interests 3- Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals 4- Prioritize and break down goals 5- Create an action plan 6- Focus on growth and development 7- Overcome obstacles 8- Accountability and support 9- Adapt and refine 10- Celebrate achievements 11- Encourage self-awareness 12- Reflect on the bigger picture

It's crucial to start with a strengths assessment. This introspective exercise encourages them to reflect on what they excel at and what truly brings them joy. Additionally, delve into their passions, encouraging them to identify activities that ignite their enthusiasm and make them lose track of time. By recognizing these intrinsic gifts and passions, you can guide them in aligning their goals with what comes naturally to them. An actionable step in this process is to create a visual representation, like a vision board or mind map, that keeps their strengths, passions, and aligned goals at the forefront of their journey, serving as a constant reminder of their unique gifts and motivating them towards success.

As a coach, you can facilitate the process of honing in on your client's natural gifts and establishing goals aligned with those qualitative strengths. You can do this by asking targeted questions, listening attentively, and challenging your client to think more deeply about the most important things to them. Through this approach, you can help clients gain more clarity on career direction, personal pursuits, and a plan for achieving each step along the way.

Natural talents can also be dormant due to a lack of opportunity or being raised under a dictatorship style parenting or the current leadership style you find yourself under. A really good coach should take the time to explore or “go mining” for hidden or buried talents and expose blind spots which could hold them back. This also exposes fears and imaginations which prohibit people from stepping into their magnificence or Noble goals.

To help clients set goals based on their natural talent, it's critical first to aid them in acknowledging the intrinsic value and strength of their talents.By helping them see the significant impact these abilities can have on their lives and those of others, they can begin to appreciate their gifts more fully. We then work together to identify practical and creative ways in which their unique skills can define their aspirations. Aligning goal-setting with their innate strengths and interests ensures that the path they embark upon is not only rewarding but also enjoyable. Clients can then devise a fulfilling strategy that complements their mindset and leverages their natural capabilities, enabling them to achieve their goals satisfactorily.

A key take away when it comes to natural gifts is to always see yourself as a gift first. Then you will be able to appreciate what comes from you. A huge roadblock to expressing natural gifts is self doubt. Clients must know they are valuable all by themselves. Then they can accept what comes from them as a gift to the world and this will help them to pursue goals and personal development because they know they are bringing something meaningful to the table of life.