“For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:4-8).

I started 2023 with a word-of-the-year generator. My word? “Purpose.”

It got me thinking about the busyness of everyday life: how we stretch ourselves too thin, put ourselves under too much pressure to be good at everything, and forget to surrender to the fact that we can’t do it all—and that’s OK.

In reality, it’s more than OK; it’s God’s design. 

“What is my purpose?” I asked myself.

It wasn’t long before our Lord humbled me by making me realize I was thinking about the concept all wrong. It’s really about ensuring that all I am doing, saying, and thinking is on purpose—with intentionality.

Striving Versus Thriving 

Growing up, I let society tell me that I had to strive rather than thrive. I learned that it was more important to hustle and fix my failings than to pause and understand my God-given talents. I trained myself to cultivate and value productivity rather than my own gifts.

Today, as a charity founder, I’ve had to take on many different roles, some that suited me and came easily and others that I struggled to execute or excel in. In my own temptation toward pride, I wanted to be able to do it all, convinced that anything less was a measure of my own inability.

Humility in Our Own Ability

My life consultant made me aware of the CliftonStrengths talent assessment (there’s a Catholic version here), which she told me would change my mindset and teach me how to use my aptitudes to work smarter, not harder.

American psychologist Don Clifton created this assessment six decades ago after asking the question, “What would happen if we studied what was right with people versus what’s wrong with people?” 

Working in Community

This concept of building on my strengths in community with others (and their strengths) was both intuitive and foreign to me. It freed me to stop punishing myself for not being a natural analytical thinker or project manager and helped me understand the right way to build a team that would thrive.

Exploring my top five strengths (out of a possible 34) not only contributed to my understanding of my own temperament, personality, and work style, but it’s helped me find that purpose I was looking for.

In my own personal insight guide, my top five themes are:

1. Empathy

“You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own.”

People who are especially empathetic can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or situations.

2. Maximizer

“Excellence, not average, is your measure.”

Maximizers focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

3. Communication

“You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write.”

People who are especially talented in communication generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

4. Positivity

“You are generous with praise, quick to smile, and always on the lookout for the positive in the situation.”

Positive people have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

5. Activator

“‘When can we start?’ is a recurring question in your life. You are impatient for action.”

Activators can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Considering that over 29 million people have taken the assessment, I wasn’t surprised at how accurate—and complementary—my results were. 

I was once told I was a “builder” (AKA activator) but not necessarily a “maintainer” when it came to my projects, and that feedback already helped me understand my skill gaps. Embracing where my strengths (and weaknesses) are has encouraged me to cultivate what I do well—motivate, ideate, and communicate—while giving me permission to outsource and lean on others who shine in the skills I don’t have.

Can you imagine all we could achieve if we worked collaboratively within our respective strengths, stewarding these gifts from God to pair tasks and talent?

When we live life on purpose and with purpose, working to our strengths and God-given abilities, work isn’t drudgery but, rather, a playground for us to flourish and cultivate those gifts in ourselves and in others. What a humbling reminder to quash envy or comparison and remember that God built us as one body, all with unique and significant roles to play:

“Now the body is not a single part, but many. If a foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,’ it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. Or if an ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,’ it does not for this reason belong any less to the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended” (1 Corinthians 12:14-18).

Delphine Chui is a London-based cradle Catholic who experienced her true conversion when she hit 30. A former mainstream women’s magazine journalist, Delphine now uses her writing talents for a Christian legal advocacy organisation, as well as running her own befriending charity, CareDogs. When she’s not listening to formative podcasts, she can be found on Twitter sharing stories of people fighting for freedom of speech, religious belief and the right to life or on Christian YouTube channel Salt speaking on the topic of holy love in the modern world. You can connect with Delphine and say hi on Instagram or LinkedIn.