{"id":45581,"date":"2025-12-01T12:30:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T17:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/?p=45581"},"modified":"2025-12-01T12:30:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T17:30:56","slug":"affirming-gifts-in-a-season-of-giving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/2025\/12\/01\/affirming-gifts-in-a-season-of-giving\/","title":{"rendered":"Affirming Gifts in a Season of Giving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>December 2025 \u2013\u00a0<em>By Michelle Hedrich<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Retired, Nonprofit Executive<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The holiday season invites us to think about giving\u2014beautifully wrapped boxes, meaningful gestures, and shared moments. But there\u2019s a deeper kind of giving that often goes unrecognized: the gifts we offer that remain with us, even as we share them with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These are the gifts that come from within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your innate gifts\u2014your kindness, creativity, insight, and presence are unique offerings that uplift those around you. But they also nourish you. When you express your natural talents, you feel more alive, more aligned, more <em>you<\/em>. That joy is not accidental; it\u2019s affirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s surprisingly easy to overlook your own gifts. We often assume that what comes naturally to us must be easy for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDoesn\u2019t everyone think like this?\u201d<br>\u201cIsn\u2019t this just normal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Usually, the answer is no. What feels effortless to you might be extraordinary to someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where self-awareness of your gifts becomes a powerful tool.&nbsp; Understanding your motivations\u2014what energizes you, what lights you up\u2014reveals the underlying gifts you\u2019ve been carrying all along. Likewise, recognizing your cultural identity and the strengths it has shaped helps you see the richness of what you offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a season overflowing with expectations and to-dos, here\u2019s a simple compass: If it fills you with joy, that\u2019s your sign. That\u2019s the affirmation of your gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affirmation is more than a pep talk.&nbsp; It\u2019s the practice of strengthening your self-perception through positive, intentional self-talk.&nbsp; When you articulate your worth\u2014out loud or internally\u2014you build an inner foundation that no circumstance can shake. You create your own validation. You become your own source of confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Energy flows from knowing you have something uniquely valuable to offer. When you understand your gifts, you become empowered to share them generously, authentically, and without hesitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affirming yourself sounds like this: I know who I am. I know what I bring. I\u2019ve got this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And as that truth settles in, stress begins to melt away. The pressure to be \u201cenough\u201d fades, because you finally see\u2014perhaps for the first time\u2014that you already are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This Season, Give the Gift of You<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this month of giving, remember that the most meaningful gifts aren\u2019t things. They\u2019re the unique strengths, talents, and energies that only you can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Share them boldly.&nbsp; Affirm them daily.&nbsp; And let the joy they bring you be the proof that they are gifts worth giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t worry. Be at ease. You\u2019ve got this\u2014and you always have.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 2025 \u2013\u00a0By Michelle Hedrich,\u00a0Retired, Nonprofit Executive The holiday season invites us to think about giving\u2014beautifully wrapped boxes, meaningful gestures, and shared moments. But there\u2019s a deeper kind of giving that often goes unrecognized: the gifts we offer that remain with us, even as we share them with others. These are the gifts that come [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5357,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Affirming Gifts in a Season of Giving - Leadership Colloquium at UMW<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/2025\/12\/01\/affirming-gifts-in-a-season-of-giving\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Affirming Gifts in a Season of Giving\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"December 2025 \u2013\u00a0By Michelle Hedrich,\u00a0Retired, Nonprofit Executive The holiday season invites us to think about giving\u2014beautifully wrapped boxes, meaningful gestures, and shared moments. 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