Being resourceful is something I have always thought I was pretty good at. I have put together many a big-themed party fit for any episode of Martha Stewart – OK, maybe not Martha, but at least a feature on Rachel Ray – OK, maybe not Rachel either, but a party worth a mention on the local news arts and leisure segment. Yeah, there has been some mention-worthy leisure. We’re talking about a party with enough food and alcohol to instill everyone with next-day-regret, a fiesta with enough attention to detail to make it seem like it was thrown by a gaggle of gay men, and all this produced with nothing more than items from the house coupled with the sheer will and intestinal fortitude to make it happen. Then I met my husband who builds Tesla coils with a 12-pack of Corona bottles and a cashew can, and I knew I had met my match. It is a good way to live, really. Using only what you have available makes you stronger. Sure anyone can go out and buy a bookcase, but not everyone can fashion one out of coffee cans and planks, or transform a chicken coop into a book case, or arrange their books in various forms of luggage all stacked up to create little suitcase cubicles. I have done all of these things and quite frankly I am a little sad my current house has built-in bookcases. Seriously. It limits my creativity. A couple of weeks ago my daughter was in a production of Aladdin and we were in charge of the lamp, so of course we headed to Good Will to play a game of arrange random kitchy things until they look like a genie lamp. That was fun, then I gave it too my editor/husband who outfitted it with a switch, batteries, high intensity purple LED lights, a fan to blow out sublimated C02 from dry ice placed in a thermo-isolated martini shaker top (so the kids didn’t freeze off their little fingers). At the right moment the kids flipped the switch and squeezed a turkey baster at the side of the lamp which splashed water onto the dry ice sending a purple haze out from the spout of the lamp. You know, just keeping it simple. But standing in a thrift store trying to think of a new way to use things is fun, at least to me. But there is more to repurposing and resourcefulness than just being green and frugal. Using what you have also means finding what you do well, and doing it. When you use what you have, your innate talents or those you have picked up on the way, you are a happier person and it definitely makes the world a better place. Letting your inner awesomeness remain untapped is criminal and we should all be vigilant about preventing this. If you know someone so tangled up in self-doubt he fails to recognize his abilities, find a way to help him see it. If you know someone so trapped by seemingly fabricated reasons preventing the pursuit of her calling, nudge her a bit in the right direction. Enroll her in a class, or print up business cards stating her expertise and its benefits and hang them around town. I have actually done this for someone and it lead to a change in careers. If you want to spread happiness and serve the world – it is your obligation to use your own fabulous self and to guide others to use theirs. Now the hard part of this may be finding your awesome. It was just here a moment ago. I remember seeing it in the car next to my cell phone. But now where did my awesome go? Sometimes finding your awesome is intuitively obvious; maybe you are a born math genius or have a beautiful voice that makes burly men weep. Maybe you have always performed at the top of your class or been able to take apart and reassemble anything mechanical. But if you are like most people, your awesome is a maybe more obscure and challenging to recognize. Maybe you are really great at cuddling or seeing patterns in things, or you can create order out of chaos (or the other way around, though that may be less of a marketable job skill), or you have the ability to put people at ease (or asleep – again less marketable but an awesome skill nonetheless). Sometimes these things may be difficult to see as talent because they are not the obvious resume boosting fodder – but trust me, your awesome exists and you can always find a way to use your power for good. The easiest place to discover your awesome is in whatever you find yourself doing. If you spend all your time thinking about decorating your house – maybe your awesome is design. If you’re thinking deeply about relationships and how to make them better, maybe you could help others do the same. If you get great satisfaction in cleaning to the point of OCD perfection – please come over to my house. Seriously. Right now. You can start in the kitchen. Of course, your passion is your awesome. Whatever makes you happy is what you should be doing. If you can find a way to make a living doing it, great! But, even if you can’t quite find a way to do that, immersing in your awesome makes you happy – and you, happy, makes the world a better place. … P.S. Still looking for your awesome? Well, when something comes naturally for you, it’s easy to conclude it comes just as naturally for everyone, which means you might not recognize it as your awesome. I used to think everyone could manage 12 things at once, speak confidently in front of large groups of people, and delve into imaginary worlds and make up stories with ease. It took me a really long time to figure out that these things were somewhat unique to me, that they were the composition of my awesome. I often make up stories for the kids with reoccurring characters and ongoing plots, or sometimes I make up stories that include illustrations drawn during the made-up storytelling. After doing this the other day for my two-year-old at breakfast, I looked up to see my husband/editor with his jaw dropped open and a look of total surprise on his face. “Did you just make that up?” he asked. I said yes and he exclaimed “Here’s you:” and then he mimed magically controlling things with telekinetic powers, “What? Can’t everyone make objects fly through the air and spit carnival music out their ears? Isn’t that just what we all do?” Oh yeah – that may be some awesome I have going on there. It does help to be around people who appreciate your particular brand of awesome; it makes it easier to spot. Caution: This does not mean you need to let others dictate what your awesome. Your awesome is about what makes you happy – not what makes others happy. Beware of compliments that sway your direction. Sometimes, if you are searching for who you are you become very susceptible to suggestion, so try to stay true to your genuine awesome. Just because you make an amazing Chicken Masala does not mean you should be a chef, and just because you are a wizard with numbers doesn’t mean you should be an accountant. The world is not best served by squeezing you into a role that doesn’t fit; it is best served by you claiming your awesome and finding happiness. Make no apologies for what you don’t have – but for the love of all that is good and right with the world – find your awesome and USE WHAT YOU HAVE.More from Karen:

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