Recognizing the Gifts We Carry 

Every one of us has been given something unique. Some gifts are easy to identify. They may be professional talents such as teaching, writing, organizing, problem-solving, communicating, or leading. 

But some of the most meaningful gifts would never appear on a résumé. 

Perhaps you have a remarkable ability to make people feel welcome. Maybe you remain calm when everyone around you is overwhelmed. Perhaps you're the person who notices those who feel invisible, or you're known for listening deeply when others need encouragement.  

Sometimes the qualities that make us most valuable are the ones we overlook because they come naturally to us. We assume everyone can do them. 

The truth is, they can't. 

There are gifts you carry that are uniquely yours to give.  

And while we certainly use these gifts in our professional lives, they aren't limited to our work. We bring them into our families, friendships, neighborhoods, and communities. We carry them everywhere we go.  

The Connection Between Gifts and Service 

Servimus - We serve. 

Ducimus - We lead. 

Praecellimus - We pursue excellence.  

These aren't simply aspirations for our scholars. They are principles that can guide our own lives. 

There is a natural connection between these ideals. Service begins with recognizing that we have something to give. Excellence is not about outperforming others. Rather, it's about being faithful stewards of what we've been entrusted with.  

The world often encourages us to ask: What can my gifts do for me? How successful can I become? How far can I advance? 

Servant leadership asks a different question: Who can my gifts serve?  

If your gift is hospitality, perhaps its greatest purpose is helping someone feel like they belong. 

If your gift is listening, someone may not need your advice as much as they need your attention. 

If you're an encourager, there may be someone who simply needs you to say the positive thing you've been thinking about them. 

And if you're a teacher, your gift may reveal itself in the moment a scholar finally understands something they once thought was impossible.  

Our gifts become most meaningful when they become useful to someone else. 

Servimus. We serve. 

Leadership Is Helping Others Discover Their Gifts 

Leadership is often misunderstood as holding a title or standing at the front of the room. In reality, leadership is much more personal. 

It is stepping forward when someone needs you. 

It is taking responsibility. 

It is using your influence for a purpose greater than yourself.  

As educators and mentors, we also have an opportunity to help others recognize their own gifts. 

Sometimes, the most important words we can say to another person are: "I see something in you that you may not see in yourself yet."  

A scholar may not recognize their leadership potential. A colleague may not realize how gifted they are at building community. Sometimes our role is simply to notice, encourage, and create opportunities. 

Leadership isn't only about moving forward ourselves. 

It's about helping someone else discover that they can move forward too.  

Ducimus. We lead. 

Excellence as Stewardship 

The third principle, Praecellimus, reminds us that excellence is different from perfection. 

Excellence isn't comparison. 

It isn't proving we're better than someone else. 

It's asking: How can I do this well?  

How can I become a better teacher? 

A better parent? 

A better spouse? 

A better friend? 

A better mentor? 

Excellence is the ongoing effort to use our gifts, experiences, responsibilities, and opportunities in meaningful ways.

Three Questions Worth Asking 

As we navigate our work and our lives, I believe three questions are worth revisiting regularly. 

1. What has been entrusted to you? 

Not just professionally, but personally. 

What talents, experiences, perspectives, or wisdom do you carry that could make someone else's life better?  

2. Who in your life needs it? 

Perhaps it's a scholar. 

A colleague. 

A spouse. 

A child. 

A friend. 

A neighbor. 

Or perhaps someone you haven't even met yet.  

3. Are you giving it away? 

Are you actively using what you've been given? 

Or are you waiting until you're less busy, more confident, more qualified, or until the "perfect" opportunity arrives? 

What would generosity with your gifts look like today?  

A Responsibility and a Privilege 

Each of us has been entrusted with a unique set of gifts. 

We have also been entrusted with one another. 

At JAA, we have been entrusted with scholars and families. That is both a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous privilege.  

As we move through this school year, may we carry our academy's guiding principles beyond our classrooms and meetings and into every area of our lives. 

Servimus. We serve. 

Ducimus. We lead. 

Praecellimus. We pursue excellence. 

And when we look back on this season of life, may we be able to say: 

I knew what had been entrusted to me. 

I was grateful for it. 

And I gave it away well.