God-Image Element 6: COMPETENCE
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Love-Link® 
Linking "competence" to "love" allows you the freedom to be yourself and serve others.
Truth 6 - ♡Love guides and balances your COMPETENCIES.
Goal 6 - ○ Live well by developing all your COMPETENCIES.
LIE 6 - ♡ Your COMPETENCIES are meaningless.
APPLYING Love-Link® Image Element 6 – Loving your COMPETENCIES
- Strategy: Learn to “maximize your competence”.
- Discover what you are best at doing: Everyone, by virtue of their being alive, has value. Learning to appreciate those things we can do (within our capacities and limits), and learning to develop them the best we can, serves both our self and others. First, however, we need to realistically assess and brutally accept our capacities, talents, interests, and even calling(s).
- Include “love” in your process: Since love helps us know ourselves and others better through "listening, observing, verifying, and engaging'", the process of loving not only improves our competence, but it helps us to know how to use those competencies in all our relationships. This helps create the sense of "well-being" for all who know and experience our lives – that’s competence in action. Love will also help you not to compare your competencies in terms of value to God, but only as value to your situation or the need to gain greater skills.
- Be aware of your surroundings: By making "love" the center of discovering, developing, and using our competencies, we are better attuned to the possibilities surrounding us in every relationship. Different circumstances exposes the truth about our competencies, revealing new ones and questioning others. Test your competence in many settings. If you are the only one that sees it, ask God to help you understand why.
- Commitment: Learn to "Love your Competencies"
- Be open to new ideas on how to acknowledge and use your competencies: Competence is greater than our work or vocation. Be open to subtle competencies at work, home, school, community, worship, and every setting of your life. Little competencies are as important as big ones. The importance is to know and use them.
- Take a holistic approach to your competencies. What we bring to others is important. Be sure to acknowledge the way in which we benefit them and add to their lives - these are often overlooked competencies. Celebrate the ones you find.
- Create your own learning projects. List the things you are good at doing. Make a plan to keep improving and sharing them with others. Make another list of things you would like to do better. Make a plan for them as well. Journal your ideas and attempts so you can learn and appreciate your growth in knowing and using your competencies.
- Get Started: Learn to “value of your competencies”,
- Be proactive. Always be working on at least one competency, and get feedback as to how you are doing. Whether your competency is personal or professional, make a plan and keep at it. Remember to use every opportunity to improve. Download the Action Guide below. Complete the WORTH Study.
- Reach out. Consider working on your competencies with those around you - family members, co-workers, professional groups, etc.
Love-Links Action Guide Page 10 (PDF)
