Book Blog | The Gift Mindset®

The Gift Mindset® by Renée Giarrusso is a thought-provoking book offering readers a unique approach to tap into personal or professional “gifts”. The Gift Mindset® is about learning to be self-aware, acknowledging feelings, then accepting life lessons. By shifting our mindset, we view each event as a “gift” meant to enrich our lives.

Different Packages, Different Times

Gifts come in different forms such as unplanned challenging events, influence of positive or negative people, and successes. As we contemplate experiences, we learn they fall into past, hidden, future, and present categories. Past gifts were never opened due to our inability to recognize the value, or a desire to let them collect dust rather than deal with what is in the box. Hidden gifts are particularly intriguing as they might be right in front of us, but we have no idea. Present gifts we unwrap now and use. Future gifts are the unknowns in life.

Gift Path

We travel through five steps before fully adopting a Gift Mindset. First, there are the wrapped gifts. Then, there are the limited number of untied gifts yet to be explored. Next, comes courage that allows us to unwrap the gifts and raise our awareness. The following step is that the gift becomes revealed. This is where the journey gets going. As Renée Giarrusso explains, “You are fearless and you have ripped the wrapping off. The gift sparkles, revealing all it has to give, and now you need to use it to educate others.”  Finally, we reach legacy, during which we share our Gift Mindset to enlighten others. Eventually, the Gift Mindset becomes part of who we are and how we function as leaders in business and life.

Twelve Gifts

This book presents twelve gifts for us to untie the bow, remove wrapping, and reveal the gift inside. Each gift offers benefits of learning for ourselves, passing along lessons to others, and creating a legacy as a true giver. The gifts are optimism, courage, resilience, gratitude, curiosity, change, growth, connection, empathy, forgiveness, contribution, and re-energising. When we master the gifts, we become unstoppable. We understand what makes us feel energized and use newfound strength to explore our best life.

Barriers

Life would be less interesting without some barriers. Perhaps the blockades are additional, smaller gifts. Seven barriers exist between us and a Gift Mindset: Suppressed gifts, judgement from others, misusing success, distraction, workplace culture, low self-awareness, and lack of time. Our job is to recognise roadblocks and move them out of the way. As Renée Giarrusso shares, “Failing to see the obstacles to having a Gift Mindset is like forgetting to lay the foundation of a house. You can continue to build the house, but the outcome will never be as robust or last the test of time.”

Curiosity

With a Gift Mindset, we prepare our minds for the planned and unplanned gifts received in life. As mentioned in the book, “A curious mindset can lead you anywhere.” If you are curious, then read this book.

Jennifer Musser – Guiding Strategic Purpose, Managing Member, JLM & Associates Consulting, LLC