Uniquely yours

How does our experience uniquely prepare us for what we encounter in life, in our leadership?

I've been thinking about this question over the past week, since the plane crash in the Hudson River.  The pilot, Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, successfully executed an emergency landing in the river after it lost both engines, saving some 155 people.  He was not only a veteran commercial pilot with 40 years of flying experience, but also was a glider pilot and had studied the psychology of how cockpit crews behave in crisis.  He had the exact skill set needed — experience and temperament — to get the job done.  It was as if his entire life had prepared him for that moment.

As I watched the inauguration of Barack Obama today, live streaming over the Internet, I similarly considered how his experiences, his family, his racial and ethnic background, his education, his temperament, as well as the unique circumstances of history, have brought him to this moment in time, this moment in history.  The world now waits to see how his unique talents have prepared him for the challenges he will face as the next US president.  

And how is this true of us all? 

What is your unique set of life experiences preparing you for? 

What are you uniquely called to do?