My Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines essence as follows:
“1 a. the indispensable quality or element identifying a thing or determining its character; b. the intrinsic nature or quality of something.”l
For me, it is our essence that makes us truly unique.
Some years ago, I read the wonderful book The Nibble Theory and The Kernel of Power by the late Kaleel Jamison. That book helped me rediscover my Kernel of Power.
Essentially (pardon the pun) the message of Jamison’s book is two-fold.
The first half explores The Nibble Theory — the notion that our essential selves are gnawed away or nibbled by society, so we lose out on our personal growth.
The second half provides a series of exercises to help us rediscover our Kernel of Power. The Kernel of Power is that unique thing, that unique part, that unique ESSENCE that makes us US.
It is powerful to know this part of ourselves. And, hard to uncover.
But, worth it.
You can start identifying your Essence by asking, “What are the strengths (talents) I was born with?”
Then ask, “What is my primary talent (gift)?”
Then keep boring down to your CORE to get at the KERNEL, the ESSENCE of your uniqueness.
For me that ESSENCE consists of the PRIMARY GIFT combined with a clear sense of HOW you are meant to EXPRESS it.
For example, my primary gift is WORDS. What I mean by that is that I was born with a gift for speaking/expressing/articulating thoughts.
That gift was brought to my conscious awareness by a participant in a Creativity workshop I was teaching. I had been talking about the notion of the Gift(s) God give. After the class session he came up to me and said, “I know what your Gift is. It’s words!”
Instantly I knew what he meant.
That was in 1986. It’s taken 21 years for me to get the 2nd part totally clear. That is, the form of expression.
In 1986 I knew that my work roles revolved around my Gift of words. I was a trainer, a consultant, and sometime public speaker.
But, only recently have I come to understand that ESSENTIALLY at my CORE I am “A Mentor”.
My Essence then is about using my Primary Gift of Words to Teach.
What is your Essence?
I’d love for you to chime in… add your comments to the conversation.
