What does your last name say about your roots? In some cases it could be about your heritage or it could be about your celebrity appeal. There’re times it reflects cultural history while other times it’s about current glory. Well Steve Harvey built the case and pushed the limit, getting his name to a top notch level.

Harvey remembers the time of having his first open mic gig. He visited the club to check things out, knowing he wasn’t on the schedule for another week or two. Then he found out that the comedian on tap for the evening cancelled last minute. So his friend pushed him to do his routine on the spot that night.

At different times in life most of us have to shake self-doubt. Maybe that was one of his moments. We have to step-up in situations that give us second thoughts. The thing we find is that what’s already inside of us is good enough to save the day. But we will only find out if we not let self-doubt get in the way.

This could mean having to reduce outside interference. Think about how cell phones work. When you make a call, a signal is sent via cell towers to the receiving end. Your call goes from tower to tower with the signal repeated and its power boosted so that it’s not affected by noise interference or is dropped.

Shaking self-doubt and reducing noise interference in life works a lot like that. We have to find ways to repeat the signals for keeping us focused and on track. We also have to find ways to empower the signal so that the message is not affected by factors that could come from haters or other life challenges.

While we’re training the voice within to keep us on point, we’ll also have to upgrade our skill appeal. It’s like the HGTV show Curb Appeal. There’s some visible transformation work, at work. Sometimes it’s a new landscaping design or front porch redesign. The ‘before and after’ pictures speak for themselves.

Getting to the next level personally or professionally brings an upgrade in market appeal. One place this is found is our résumé of accomplishments. It shows how we built the case, pushing beyond our comfort zone to top notch caliber. Harvey might agree that it also takes catching a few breaks along the way.

He tells how his first Kings of Comedy routine bombed. He knew it and people said it. So for the second show he was nervous as hell. Harvey caught a break just before his turn when the curtain briefly got stuck. That gave him the time to shake any self-doubt, reduce interference and upgrade his stage appeal.

Footnote: ‘Gifts unleashed’ are a reminder to ‘gifts unsung’ of what’s possible when your service bell gets rung.