Leadership ~ Find Your Strengths

Melissa Mashburn — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:30:00 -0400

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (Psalm 18:32 NIV)

Welcome back to Mom Works at Home. This month we have been talking about "Leadership" and last time we got together we talked about the importance of "Reading". Today, you're just in time to sit back and discuss with us about "Finding Your Strengths".

I pray that you are taking some time as we walk through this topic of "Leadership" to really unpack what that means to you as a Work at Home Mom. It's funny because a lot of people just don't realize how gifted you need to be to be a Work at Home Mom. Let's face it, it is not always easy or glamorous, but it is empowering!

When we're talking about "Finding Your Strengths" for the sake of "Leadership," I'm talking about those things that you do well. We each have an area of giftedness that was given to us as believers (Romans 12:6 NIV), but we also have skills and talents that we possess that we've learned over the years.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:4 NIV)

So, let's take a little time to unpack this "Leadership" suitcase for a minute. It is my hope that by taking the time to figure out what some of your strengths are that you will be able to better focus your purpose and passion.

Here's a few great examples;

If you are doing a work-at-home business where you have crafty things to do all day and you are not a crafty person, chances are you are going to struggle.
If you are doing things on the computer all day long and you really don't like to use the computer or don't know how to do it well, then you are going to struggle.
What about if you are doing a work-at-home business where you have to network with people and you are generally a private and quiet person, then you are going to struggle.

How many of you were just shaking your head in agreement with me?

If we are completely honest, none of us can do everything well, but we each have areas in which we excel. Why not work towards being the best we can be in our specific areas? When we partner our skills, talents, and abilities with our spiritual gifts, then we are going to be in what I call our "sweet spot". That place where God has uniquely prepared us to be at. We are working at our maximum capacity for Him and in doing so filling ourselves with his purpose and passion.

What could be more exciting than that?

Let's get practical here...what if you don't think you know what your "strengths" are? The very first place you need to start is to grab your Bible, your journal, a pen and head out to a nice little spot where you can ask God to show you. The first place to start is always with Him. After that time of asking, seeking, and listening, you start writing down things during your week that you notice that you do with ease. The things that make your heart skip a beat and that make you smile when it is accomplished.

There's going to be things that you do well that you may not necessarily like to do, but you do well nonetheless, and that's OK. The point of this is process is to start tracking and "finding your strengths" and, as you progress, you are probably going to find other things to add to your list.

Then you're going to ask two or three people that you absolutely trust what they think your strengths are. These have to be people that will speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15 NIV) and have your best interests at heart. That way you can really learn, stretch, grow yourself, and also your "leadership" skills.

When you've sought the Lord's guidance and also asked a few trusted people their opinion, then you sit back down and rewrite your list. You will begin to discover your strengths and should start running your business in a way that you are spending a good portion of your day working in your "strengths". Did you notice I didn't say spend all your time working in your strengths?That's because the reality is that we all have to do the other stuff too, but when you focus on your strengths you enjoy your work more, are more effective and efficient, and have a much higher likelihood of success because when you love what you do people will take notice.

I truly hope and pray that you take some time this week to really stop and "find your strengths". It has transformed my way of thinking, working, living and I know it can do the same for you.

It is also time for me to take a minute to say good-bye to the Mom Works at Home column. I have thoroughly enjoyed going on this journey as a Work at Home Mom, but my circumstances have changed and I am now moving into a new season of my life. I'm back in ministry part-time at my church and will be working outside the home again. I will be starting a new column here in Take Root and Write within the next month and would love to see each and every one of you over at my new column when it gets up and running. Be Blessed!

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Leadership ~ Find Your Strengths