Tfigs
Each of us is born with remarkable natural gifts that serve as superpowers in our lives and help us make a unique contribution. Additional gifts can (and should) be developed, but these gifts are hardwired in us. Science and philosophy call them lots of different things -- aptitudes, innate abilities, genetic predispositions, endowments (isn't that one beautiful?), signature strengths -- whatever the term, I think we can all agree that they're a thing. For the sake of simplicity in this post, we'll call them gifts.
These gifts are so strong in us, that they can sometimes flip inside out and show up in reverse. My teenage daughter Mikayla coined a term for this phenomenon: Tfig (it's when a gift shows up backwards).
An example of a "tfig" would be someone who has an amazing gift of caring for other people and sensing their needs, but because of this, they sometimes feel extra self-conscious, worried what people will think or not wanting to bother anyone.
More examples include: someone who is a natural leader, but who can struggle with being controlling or closed-off to others' ideas. Or someone highly creative who sometimes deals with feeling scattered/unfocused. Or someone who is naturally very generous who sometimes feels resentment and burnout from giving so freely.
(yes, I am speaking from personal experience with each of these examples)
Acknowledging these "flip sides" of our gifts helps us understand that, when we're struggling, it might just be one or more of our strengths in overdrive. Or -- even better -- it can help us reflect and figure out what to watch out for, training ourselves to proactively manage our challenges. In other words, we can use our God-given agency to make our lives happier and save our energy to use our strengths for good.
What are your gifts, and how do you see them show up as tfigs?
