Finding Your Gift
I’ve been fortunate enough to meet more than the average
number of people in very different professions. Much like the Tony Curtis in The Great Imposter, I changed careers as
casually as some people change clothes before going to the theater. Did you
recognize me when you spotted that medical student and autopsy assistant using
a saw to open a brain for study? Maybe you identified me as the English
professor, the telecommunications consultant, the network manager, or even the
market research executive. If not, maybe you recognized me as a novelist or a
biographer.
The older you get, the more you begin to look back in an
effort to make sense of your life and the lives of those around you. I have
come to the conclusion that everyone does have a gift, something they can give
the world. It is also something that gives them joy every time they give this
gift.
So, in effect, finding the meaning to your life does not
really require you to visit a guru or climb a mountain to meditate. It does require
you to examine what you do well and what that contributes to other people.
Someone whose gift is an ability to nurture, for example, might find joy in the
teaching or nursing profession. Similarly, an athlete who feels joy whenever he
excels might bring that joy to others who experience joy in watching him
perform. Michael Jordan is a good example. By all accounts he is not a
particularly nice person. His competitive zeal caused him to fight with
teammates and coaches. He never found happiness off the court. Still, he
confided to reporters that the only time he felt really at peace was when he
was playing basketball. His superhuman abilities on the court also brought joy
to those who saw him play.
Finding your gift can take much of a lifetime or it can
happen very early. My brother, for example, already knew by the age of nine
that he wanted to be a journalist. He was never happier as a kid than when he
brought home copies of the New York Times,
the Los Angeles Times, and the Arizona Republic and read them cover-to
cover. Over the years he worked his way all the way up to Editor, but I never
thought he considered what he did as work.
In my case, I loved teaching college students, but left that
profession when I became enamored with the computer industry. I spent some time
in computer sales. I hated the cold calling, but I enjoyed explaining why the
product was worth buying. Later I became a market research executive. Once
again, what brought me joy was communicating the value of the research.
So, it’s clear to me that my gift is my ability to explain
complex subjects in a way people can understand them. I’ve written several
college textbooks and now teach on a volunteer basis. Even when I write
fiction, I tend to take on complex issues and try to explain them in the story
without being preachy. One mystery, as an example, delves into the complex
issue of gender identity and transgender people. A science fiction novel I
wrote explores the possible implications of a first contact between humans and
extraterrestrials. That’s a subject so interesting to me that I self-published
a non-fiction book on that topic.
My Frankie and Josh mysteries reflect my fascination with
the topic of life after death and the paranormal. They also reflect my interest
technology and its impact on our lives. My scientist friends are always
offering me new compelling ways for a villain to kill a character and make it
even more challenging for my Detective Frankie Ryan to solve the case.
I am very fortunate that I can spend my time writing novels
–something I enjoy doing. Maslow came up with the term self-actualization to
describe people who reach a level of psychic satisfaction once their basic
physiological needs are met. It’s another way of describing people discovering
their gift, the unique quality they bring to this world. If you’ve ever
wondered what your gift is, then the best way to learn that answer is to start
by interviewing yourself and jotting down all the tasks that bring joy to you.
The next step is to determine what these tasks have in common. Let’s say you
sell insurance all day but live for the valuable time when you’re not working
so you can spend time woodworking or carving figurines. Clearly you have a gift
for building things with your own hands. Whether that means you should expand
your hobby into a small business or find a job that will allow you to spend
more of your time doing what you love, you should consider finding ways to
spend most of your day doing what you love.
Death and Donuts
The Frankie and Josh Series
Book Three
Stan Schatt
Genre: police procedure /mystery/
paranormal mystery
Publisher: Pen-L
Date of Publication: 11/22/2016
ISBN: 978-1-68313-074-1
ASIN: B01N061W4X
Number of pages: 210
Word Count: 59000
Cover Artist: Kelsey Rice
Book Description:
Hollywood stars! Politicians! Betrayal! Murder! And a by-the-book cop just trying to do her job in the middle of it all.
To solve the murder of a movie star just weeks before the Academy Awards, Detective Frankie Ryan has to navigate through a web of Hollywood secrets and political landmines, not to mention the "old boys club" in her own police department. The presence of a new designer drug and the deaths it is tallying up threaten to hinder her investigation and leave her without a suspect—and maybe out of a job. Even with the aid of psychic reporter Josh Harrell, there is more confusion around every corner. Trusted friends will turn on her, leaving her unsure who to believe and who might be in on the murder and conspiracy.
Can Frankie discover the killer before it is too late?
Note: this is book 3 of the series but each book stands alone
Excerpt:
Frankie nodded
and stepped inside the curtain. Daniel Martin
wasn’t a large
man, but now he seemed even smaller in the over- sized hospital bed. He stared
at Frankie with glassy eyes.
“I guess now I’m
one of the usual suspects to be rounded up,” he said with a voice just above a
whisper.
“We can pin
attempted murder on you for Belmont and probably link you to Hobbs and Gordon,
but we can make things a lot more manageable for you if you just tell me who is
behind Ruby Red.”
Martin’s face
broke into a rueful smile. “You just don’t get it. You’re dealing with forces
much bigger than you or me. You’re just a pawn, and so am I.”
Frankie drew her
face closer. “You might not have much time. I can have a priest or minister
here if you want to make your peace. Don’t die with this on your conscience.”
Martin’s smile
turned into a sneer. “The old circling the drain argument. Does that ever work?
You’re not even good material for a Grade B cop movie from the ’40s. You keep
digging into this, and you’ll be busted down to walking South Central on the
midnight shift.”
“Is someone in
the department dirty?”
Martin just
stared at her while his lips broke into a grim smile. His face became flushed,
and his eyes lost focus. An alarm sounded,
and the room was
flooded with nurses. Frankie led Josh out. She shook her head.
What could
possibly be scary enough for a man on death’s door- step to keep him from
talking?
About the Author:
Stan Schatt is the author of forty books including mysteries, science fiction, biographies of Michael Connelly, Daniel Silva, and Kurt Vonnegut, and even college textbooks. His novels draw upon experiences he has had in a wide range of careers that include college professor, police department administrator, autopsy assistant, telecommunications consultant, and market research executive. Schatt has been cited for outstanding teaching by the University of Southern California, the University of Houston, and DeVry Institute of Technology.
@stanschatt
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