* Lack of recognition. Some gifts are overlooked because they aren't tangible way music or writing can be heard and seen. We sometimes assume that a gift must be a form of external brilliance like that of a composer like Mozart or a painter like Picasso. Maybe your form of brilliance is impeccable balance you keep in your life, maybe it's a spiritual relationship you've developed or maybe it's your ability to manage people in a way that inspires them to be their best.

Other times, gifts are overlooked simply because they come so naturally. I've often heard people who are, for example, gifted networkers or natural musicians downplay their gifts by saying, "Oh, it's just this thing that I do." Notice next time someone compliments you, and you respond with equivalent of "Oh, it's just that thing that I do." How could you respond differently?

Sometimes we assume that in order for something to be a gift, and to be worthwhile, it requires hard work. Actually, reverse is true. A gift begins as a form of ease. A gift begins to feel hard when we judge it and don't honor it for what it is.

What do you do most naturally? Get a good sense of your gifts. Ask trusted colleagues and friends for feedback about your gifts, both tangible and non-tangible. How do you use these gifts in your business right now? How would your business change if you fully honored and incorporated your gifts?

It's extremely easy to overlook our own gifts and take them for granted. Do you have gift of gab? Do you have gift of turning nothing into something - in other words, gift of transformation? Each one of us possesses a multitude of gifts, large and small. In order to enhance your business success and life fulfillment, make sure you know what yours are.

You are biggest resource your business has. Give yourself gift of profound self-acceptance. Explore your gifts. Acknowledge and accept them. And watch miracles of your season unfold.

------------------------------------------------------------------ Claudette Rowley, coach and author, helps professionals identify and pursue their true purpose and calling in life. Contact her today for a complimentary consultation at 781-676-5633 or claudette@metavoice.org. Sign up for her free newsletter "Insights for Savvy" at http://www.metavoice.org.

How to Keep a Gift Certificate Log

It’s important to keep a log of each gift certificate you sell. Keeping a record of each certificate sold will ensure that you don’t wind up honoring a counterfeit certificate, or one with a changed dollar amount when someone comes to use it. My log has 6 columns, and for each certificate I sell, I record in my log:

-the certificate’s unique number -the purchaser's name -the recipient's name -the date sold -the dollar amount of certificate -the date redeemed -optional seventh column: expiration date.

I keep my log sheet and a stack of ready-to-sell certificates together in a two-pocket folder, along with a fancy pen for filling out gift certificates in style when they’re sold.

Use Gift Certificates to Their Fullest Profit Potential

Gift certificates can be a great source of back-end sales. When recipient comes to redeem gift certificate, it’s easy to sell her an add-on item or two. Often she is already predisposed to splurge on something to go with item she’s getting for free with her gift certificate, and needs only a little encouragement from you to purchase extras. For example, in my case, recipient will often purchase matching earrings to go with bracelet she gets for free with her gift certificate. So be sure to show enticing things to recipient that could accompany item she chooses for her gift!

Use a gift certificate sale as an opportunity to add two new customers to your mailing list: person who purchased certificate, and person who received it. Obtain permission from each to add them to your mailing list. Both of them are now pre-sold on your products, your service, and especially on your solutions to their gift-giving problems. There’s a good chance they will respond favorably when they receive a special offer from you before gift-giving holidays.