Day Sixty-Two ... Strengths

The CEO of 24-Hour Fitness writes a column or a blog about the books he reads. I check it periodically and get the books that sound interesting to me. All save one that I have read I loved. The one I did not love I will most likely revisit at another time, it was so dense I had trouble deciphering it and staying awake reading it. All the other books though kept me interested and I learned from them.

One of the books is called Strengths Finder 2.0  by Tom Rath. One line that had the most significant impact on me was

"From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to our shortcomings than to our strengths... Unfortunately, this is taking the path of most resistance."

That is so very true. I have strengths. I have weaknesses. Putting my energy into developing my strengths rather than overcoming my weaknesses seems like a logical way to get the most of out my time. I can manage my weaknesses by being aware of them and also by growing my strengths.

My strengths per the survey were very interesting to me and also rang fairly true.

1. Learner:   People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
2. Input:   People who are especially talented in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
3. Intellection:   People who are especially talented in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussion.
4. Developer:   People who are especially talented in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.
5. Empathy:   People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.

Those are my five themes. The Developer theme is the only one I do not actively see in myself. The others I can relate to, especially Learner and Input. I know I love to learn and to improve myself. That is a daily thing.

Every day is a lesson,

Nicola Byrne

Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong ... And yet, a person can only perform from strength.
-Peter Drucker