Discover your gifts & personality

Before I share my favorite tool on discovering your unique gifts, we have to identify your eternal identity. What I am about to share may be something you have never heard before. I invite you to try it on and see how it fits, like trying on a new pair of sunglasses...

We believe that we each knew our Heavenly Parents before we came to this earth, that they love us completely, and desired that we come to earth so we could progress to become more like them. We believe our Heavenly Parents have glorified, celestial bodies, and that their whole goal is for us to have the same. If this belief is new to you, I invite you to email me and I can send you some more information on that. If it is not a new thing to your ears, I invite you to really think about what it means! Your identity is one that can progress, change, and grow to becoming more Celestial every day! Celestial literally means "of the heavens." You have people on the other side, who love you, know you, and are watching over you. We are not stuck, nor do we have to stay stuck in our ways. We can grow our tool box of character traits, we can grow our talents, we can grow our gifts, we can grow our personality, and we have eternity to do it! But we also have these innate gifts. They are on loan to you in this life and part of what you agreed to do was animate them, and shine them out into the world while you are here. This class is designed for families, especially great for teens & preteens. Before you jump in and discover the tool that unlocks your gifts, you have to look at your heavenly bloodline.

Here is an identity that I hope you call your own, like wearing a new pair of lenses. Your highest identity is a literal son or daughter of divine Heavenly Parents. You are deeply loved children of Godly parents! Divine keepers that love you and want you to return home to them. The Bible calls the group that wears this identity as the House of Israel. (We don't mean a physical place in this sense.) House of Israel means those who"let God prevail." If you take this identity on, you are choosing to partner with God in building His kingdom. Harold B Lee calls it the "most illustrious lineage of all who come to earth." This is not a race, a country, a nation, an ethnicity...no...this is anyone on Earth who seeks the greatest of all pre-mortal talents.  The talent of spirituality.  Those truths define you. 

Through a process we don’t fully understand, our father places each of us where we would have an opportunity to progress, influence others, and serve him.  He placed you here because you have a mission to perform.  We are here now because we are needed here now. -Russell M. Nelson 

The Lord has never needed his faithful saints more than right now.  We must let God prevail and live in our true identity, or the world will not recover from its current problems. In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear says this: “The more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior.  In fact, the word identity was originally derived from the latin word essentitas, which means being, and identidem, which means repeatedly.  Your identity is literally your repeated beingness.” What do you want to repeatedly do and become? The highest identity one can achieve, is loving God. If you repeatedly ask yourself "How can I serve God today?" you are building your highest identity. But you also came with a unique code inside you that leads you to the best destination your soul could possibly walk in this life. You don't have to write this code or manuscript because God and you partnered together before this earth and signed a deal to flare them...with the understanding that your code could eventually become like His.

The most crucial way to test your resilience and growth abilities is on an earth where you are given opposites. Even opposites in your own thoughts. This is our specialized time of growth where we forge our character, habits, and beliefs in the face of adversity. Earth was created for this very reason so that we could test ourselves, and see how we respond to adversity, knowing that one day all our tears would be wiped off our faces after we die.

You may not realize it, but you knew this before you came to earth. You chose to come here, and you were willing to brave this hard world. Even though the veil of forgetfulness is on your brain now, you knew the reward was far greater than what you started with. You were given the resources you need, even though you can't always see them. From an eternal perspective, this is like our cocoon phase before we become a butterfly. Before we can ever take true flight we have to go through the hard cocoon to break free and gain wings. Earth is a very important time for transformation and growth. The whole point of becoming a "butterfly" is to bless others.

It is crucial to stay in a growth mindset our entire lives so we can constantly grow, adapt, and change with the aim of becoming like our Celestial God, and reach our fullness. Visit our classroom on the science of developing a growth mindset here.

It is our belief that one man did reach his fullness of glory on this planet, around the age of 30. His name was Jesus, and he was 30 when he started his ministry. I have scriptures to back this up if you are interested in this belief, but for today’s classroom, let’s just focus on the fact that most of us will not reach our fullest potential until many years after we die. Did I give any of you a little glimmer of hope that it is never too late? The power of “yet” is palpable! We may not be Celestial...yet, but we can become that way! We all can grow and learn even beyond this life but our focus is earth life right now, and we have to walk in the present moment of dissolving our ego that tells us we are extra special or not special at all when in reality we are all human. It is especially important to remember that the more you are given on earth, the more you are expected to use it.

Do you remember the parable of the talents?

The one thing I will tell you about our specialized "cocoon time" on this earth, is that not only can we progress, we can also digress. Digress means to turn away from a direction. We can lose our virtue, our character, our strengths and our gifts if we choose the wrong mindset, beliefs, attitudes, and habits. Think of Starwars. Darth Fader is someone who lost passage. He lost his faith, his family, and his love in his heart waxed hard, and he led evil in the galaxy. This is a digression from where his heart could have taken flight. He chose the wrong, and it became his downfall.

You may be wondering what any of this has to do with developing our gifts. I believe, that the tool I discovered is a really fun way to see your strengths, but I also believe you could put yourself in a box, and think that you can't be anything else if you are not careful. The world may tell you that "you are who you are", but God would tell you that you can be so much more. The following tools I share today, are not meant to put you in a box, telling you that you can't change or develop other gifts. If anything, please remember that your strengths are directly correlated with your weaknesses. As we learn our gifts and strengths, we can, in a way, see our weaknesses. Keep in mind that God views weaknesses differently from rebellion. All of your essence contributes to your learning and growth on this earth. As you learn your gifts, just remember, that all of us are essentially able to continue expanding our gifts. You may be thinking you are not a math wizard, but you have eternity to live. You do not need to throw out the possiblity, that you could become amazing at numbers one day. So as you learn the tools on discovering your gifts today, please don't put yourself in a box!

Where this gift-finding tool can show up as helpful for you is that you can narrow your focus to cultivate your earthly gifts rather than stay in the mind story that you need to be good at 100 other things during your short time on earth. Because that is what earth is, a short speck of time in your existence as an ever-living intelligence that has the opportunity to progress to the divine. Each person possesses an inner genius, with unique gifts bestowed by God to bless this world. All gifts hold equal value and are necessary. Hollywood often leads people to believe that certain gifts are more praiseworthy than others. However, when you start comparing, you risk losing your gifts. When you start focusing on winning, you open the door to worrying about losing. The proud depend on the world to tell them whether they have value or not. If you depend on God to tell you whether you have value or not, you won't care what others think. The highest talent is that of being spiritually connected with God. Remember, you don't need a stage for that talent. As Jenkin Lloyd Jones says, "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. Most puts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old-time rail journey...delays, side-tracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." You see...all those people who have "average" jobs, they are quietly sharing their gifts with their families, neighbors, and communities. Every bee in the hive counts for making delicious, raw honey.

The strength of the team is each individual member.-Phil Jackson

Every gift is important, as stated by Paul, one of the apostles of Christ:

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of workings, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body...whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free---and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

The more we learn about God, the more we learn he doesn't seek the wrong kind of attention with His "all-knowing" gifts. His goal is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of men and women. He uses his gifts to help others. That is the secret to discovering our gifts: we should always want to use them to bless others. As you grow in this identity as divine children of Heavenly Parents, you can start to look more into your personal identity: you will want to narrow down who you want to become and what gifts you offer to the world. You can not discover that simply by attending school. You have to look internally, at your desires, your passions, and the things that light you up. There is, however, one outside tool that can be fun to try. So now I need to share our personal experience:

As one who has read quite a few books on understanding our gifts, I was pleasantly surprised to try one very unique experiment. I was skeptical about believing it, but I considered it a fun experiment nonetheless. This tool is a really interesting recipe of a bunch of ancient sciences combined in one. None of it can be considered a measurable science, however, oddly they align with many modern discoveries. It is enjoyable because it weaves together ideas that have been present on Earth for thousands of years. It integrates the I Ching, a Chinese philosophical system, Kabbalah, a Jewish spiritual tradition, the Hindu-Brahmin chakra model from ancient India where yoga originated, and quantum physics all to offer a distinctive map of an individual's unique composition. It is useful for reflection, but not measurable in labs. It does incorporate your birth location through the stars, which many believe astrology can be overused or misused and many times it is. But I once heard an explanation of why it's acceptable to include a bit of astrology in discovering your personality. When Jesus was born, a large and bright new star appeared in Bethlehem!

Perhaps the stars do share a story in the sky that aligns with us individually. This tool uses a giant combination of many ideas, but it requires some personal information about yourself. I finally found my exact birth time by calling the hospital I was born in, and tried it out on myself. It was an interesting read, and for just me alone, it was hard to know if it was useful. But it wasn't until I tried it not only on myself, but also on my parents, my kids, my husband, my friends, their kids, and many others, that I realized how true it rings for each of my loved ones! I was actually flabbergasted with the findings! I realized I didn't fully know my own gifts. It was so easy to see how they rung true for other's around me, but that I had conditioned myself to "bury my talents" as they say. I had to really dig deep to see why my gifts were the ones they were, and it was fun self-reflection on my strengths and weaknesses. Let me remind you, this is where you don't put yourself in a box! Some people who use this tool tend to do that. I would say, let it guide you to seeing your gifts, and enjoy seeing if it aligns with you. (At the bottom of this classroom is a video that can help explain the science behind it if you want.)

My mother is the most kind-hearted human I know. It said her top gift was generosity of spirit. I can not tell you how true this is of my mother. Every time I call her, she is serving someone. My oldest son makes friends easily, and he tends to gather people. His top gift is influential energy on his chart. My oldest daughter and my husband were born on the same day and I have always thought they were alot alike in personality. Their charts are not identical but strikingly similar, and their energies are aligned as well! They still have different gifts in their chart, but some things were most definitely the same and very true. My youngest daughter's best way of digesting information and food according to her chart is with "high sound," which is also what my chart says. I can tell you that I do prefer audio for learning (we both like to listen to things when eating too). :) Listening to a podcast or youtube is sometimes easier for me than reading a book. (Which is why I hope you are reading this outloud with your families!). This gift finding tool is very unique, fun to try out, and all I can say is...I can not give the exact science, but I am blown away at how it rings true for my loved ones and myself! I think everyone in our family enjoyed trying this. I have done this with family friends, and I have watched grown men cry in front of me as I described their strongest gifts. I think people are looking for ways to articulate their thoughts and make sense of themselves. If nothing else this tool may help you do that.

The tool for discovering your gifts is called....Human Design. The best way to get a hold of this tool is a certain app that our family enjoys by Jenna Zoe, a Human Design specialist. It is called "Align." This is what it looks like:

You can also go on the website of it, but our family prefers the app.

Once you get the app, you will need your exact birth time, your location of your birth, and your birthdate. If you don't see the time on your birth certificate, you can call the hospital. Being an hour off from mom's guess might be acceptable. However, the chart can change if the time is off by a few hours. Therefore, try to avoid guessing.

The app excels at highlighting the various gifts you might discover within yourself, such as personality traits, methods for processing information, and much more. If you get confused as to what any of it means, I recommend you go on ChatGPT and type in: "explain gift 18 (or whatever gift you have) from human design," and AI does a great job at giving you an explanation. Your life theme is not what you do as a job, but it weaves into everything you do in your life.

The first thing it tells you is your energy type: Where it tells you if you are a generator or projector or other, this is your engine of energy. The chart will help explain it to you. I learned that for me, when I get fatigue, it is a depletion somewhere. It comes from "the shoulds" that I make up for myself. I should do this or I should do that are helpful, but sometimes we create those beliefs in our brain. If there is anything I am doing that I can get rid of, the energy and the zest of life gets back up. When there is agency involved in my decisions, and I get excited about something in my gut, my engine is lit up, I become a machine that can't stop working on it. This chart won't tell you what lights you up, but it will tell you how your body feels when it is lit up with excitement about something.

You can even discover what the "arrows" mean in the chart. There are arrows on the sides of the human design image that is generated for each person.

Those arrows are interesting to study as well because they show the "right brain" verses "left brain" ways you think. ChatGPT can help you understand but for starters:

Top left: how you take in information

Top right: how you see the world perspective

Bottom left: how you use energy, determination

Bottom right: how you make decisions, awareness

So if your top left arrow is pointed left, your brain likes structure. You learn best with routines, clear steps, and a quiet or focused environement. Your mind works like a "laser" straight and direct.

So if your top left arrow is pointed right, your brain is more relaxed and flexible. You learn best in loose, comfortable environements with fewer rules. Your mind works like a camera, soaking up the big picture without trying too hard.

So if your top right arrow is pointed left, your perspective is more detail-oriented. You notice patters, numbers, tiny differences, and things other people miss. You're naturally good at spotting what is off or what needs fixing.

So if your top right arrow is pointed right, you see the world more broadly. You notice vibes, moods, and overall direction instead of small details. You're better at seeing possibilities than nit-picking specifics.

So if your bottom left arrow is pointed left, you focus better with schedules, organized spaces, and predictable routines. You like knowing what is happening and when.

So if your bottom left arrow is pointed right, you do best when you can change things up. Moving, shifting environments, trying new approaches. Too much routine can feel boring and suffocating.

So if your bottom right arrow is pointed left, you do well with planning, structure, and thinking things through. Your brain likes logic and step-by-step decision-making. You're naturally more strategic.

So if your bottom right arrow is pointed right, your decisions work best when they are relaxed and intuitive. You don't need a plan; you sense what feels correct in the moment. You're more "go with the flow" than "make a checklist."

If you're skeptical, test it with your friends and family. See if any of it rings true. Have fun with it, and don't take it too seriously. We are all here to advance and cultivate a variety of talents! But we are also going to be a genius in something. This may be a tool for helping you figure that out. Remember, don't put yourself in a box! We all have the opportunity to develop more gifts! But our time on earth is limited, so we might as well really try and learn the gifts we have while here.

Isn't it fascinating that no two fingerprints are the same? I truly believe we should all "seek the best gifts" as the scriptures suggest, such as charity, faith, gratitude, and patience. We might call these gifts, character traits we aspire to cultivate, virtues we aim to develop, or talents we wish to enhance. Regardless of what you name them, we encourage you to pursue the finest gifts! Pray for them! And remember, God can help your weak things become strong! (And sometimes he shows us our strong things can be our weak things, always a humbling experience). Enjoy learning about yourself, and I encourage you all to pray for help in developing more gifts! Remember the parable of the talents!

In this video, I share a message by Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. I do not know his flaws, or his values, nor do I know if I agree with everything he said or did while he was alive, but I do like that he knew how to follow his intuition on his gifts that he had to share with the world that he mentions in this video. He knew how to see the things that light him up inside. I hold different religious beliefs than he does, yet I respect what he has created. This is a great video for facing the unknown as you develop your gifts:

Here is a fun video for kids on why they should be grateful for their unique gifts:

We must remember that we are all different, we are each genius in something, and we each have a purpose.

This classroom goes along well with conquering your fears which you can explore in this classroom here. We hope you visit more classrooms here!