Back when most other girls my age were collecting Barbie dolls, I was collecting all things “My Little Pony”. I remember being incredibly excited about one particular MLP-related gift I received – an addition to my vast collection of cute and colourful pony figurines named Tap Dancer. She was super special because she had a wind-up tail which would spin like a propeller and make her “dance” on a flat surface (yes, this was completely ground-breaking, mind-blowing and earthshattering at the time…) One of my friends thought that using the spinning tail as a fan to cool her face was a fantastic idea… until her hair got caught up in the spinning tail. The distraught friend and indifferent pony both had to have their hair trimmed by an exasperated adult before they were separate entities once more. To top it off, one of my other friends didn’t believe me when I told her the story and insisted on trying the ingenious tail-face-fan for herself. This, of course, led to yet another round of angry-adult hair-trimming.
As I’ve gotten older I’ve realised that my greatest gifts are not things, but character traits that I have developed over the years. And just as Tap Dancer (and those who tangled with her) would have benefitted from a warning label, I realised that our non-tangible gifts should have warnings labels as well.
One of my greatest gifts is that I am extremely determined. I’ll keep pushing forward and trying to get to where I want to be, even when all hope seems to be lost. This has helped me get through so many difficult situations in the past, but it’s also had me pushing myself to the point of complete exhaustion sometimes.
We can all identify things about ourselves that we consider strengths if we’re honest with ourselves and dig deeply enough. But once we’ve identified those strengths, those wonderful gifts of ours, it’s important to also identify the boundaries to keep us from taking the use of that gift too far. Our greatest gifts can have a dark side if we don’t use them mindfully and stay within the boundaries we have set.
Here are some examples of warning labels for gifts that have the potential to be taken too far:
WARNING – Conscientiousness can result in unrealistic expectations of perfection if applied too thickly. If this symptom occurs, add a good measure of flexibility and self-compassion to regain balance.
WARNING – An overdose of empathy can cause you to feel that you need to take on the problems and feelings of others as your own. If you find yourself experiencing this symptom, immediately set some healthy boundaries between your life and the lives of others.
WARNING – Fierce independence is not useful in all situations and can lead to you feeling alone and lonely on occasion. If these symptoms occur, stop use straight away and replace with asking for help or support until symptoms subside.
Our greatest gifts can create some of the biggest challenges in our lives if we don’t use them with care. To prevent this from happening, think of a warning label for each of your greatest gifts – a boundary that will keep you safe.
Wishing you the safe and balanced use of your greatest gifts!
Portal to Change 