New Discoveries. On the Bookshelf:


I was given a ton of books this summer by my manager:

StrengthsFinder 2.0 was one of my favorites.

The author, Tom Rath, writes "Society’s relentless focus on people’s shortcoming had turned into a global obsession. What’s more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies.” With a purchase of a book you will get a pass code to take a 30 minute online StrengthsFinder assessment. Answering questions for 30 minutes is not a lot of fun but reading the results is!

Here are my areas where I have the greatest potential to develop strengths:

ADAPTABILITY
People who are especially talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to “go with the flow.” They tend to be “now” people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

It’s very likely that you traditionally prefer to work independently. When you have only your work, studies, resources, and time to manage, you are able to contend with the day's events as they unfold. You usually like to make decisions and act on them without being required to seek and receive the approval of one or more people. By nature, you can be flexible about how a game is played. Having a good experience is much more important to you than winning. Many people marvel at your ability to calmly move on to something else after you have met with defeat. Chances are good that you occasionally can let today take care of itself. Why? Maybe you understand that tomorrow will bring its own demands, worries, concerns, and opportunities. Because of your strengths, you traditionally decide all is well in your life when you allow each day to unfold on its own terms. You are apt to feel restricted or boxed in by people who force you to adhere to their plans, processes, rules, or procedures. You often argue that human beings must be flexible as they plan for the future. Why? Life is filled with constant surprises and change. You are determined to avoid creating undue stress for yourself and others by acknowledging this simple fact.

CONNECTEDNESS
People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.

Chances are good that you know you are a strand in the intricate web of life. You search for ways to link with individuals who also ponder concepts, theories, or philosophies. In their company, you are apt to discover or rediscover your special place and purpose in life. Instinctively, you continually seek wisdom from people with whom you have intelligent conversations. You not only listen but also share your thoughts. In the process, you are likely to move beyond concrete facts. Your curiosity draws you to speculate -- that is, reflect or wonder -- about theories, ideas, or concepts. To keep your mind fresh, you frequently quiz individuals who are equally fascinated with the intangible and abstract aspects of life. Because of your strengths, you have no doubts about being linked in some way with everything in the universe. This includes all creation and all humankind. Driven by your talents, you spontaneously open your mind to people's diverse philosophies of life. You habitually search for ideas that link one person's fundamental truths with another person's core values. You probably realize human beings are tied to one another regardless of their age, language, education, socio-economic status, nationality, race, religion, or culture.

INDIVIDUALIZATION
People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

Instinctively, you occasionally spend time alone thinking about which individuals work well together. Perhaps your thoughtful examination of each human being allows you to mix and match the strengths of several individuals. Sometimes the strengths of one person compensate for the limitations of another person, and vice versa. You might conclude that a group's true strength lies in the diversity of its members' knowledge, skills, motivations, work styles, or thinking styles. Driven by your talents, you might search for the factors that produced a certain outcome or started a particular chain of events. Sometimes you are frustrated until you figure out why things happened the way they did. Chances are good that you sometimes rely on reason to determine how an event, decision, or condition led to a specific event. Perhaps you desire to understand how things converge to produce the final result. It’s very likely that you have quick and ready insights into how each human being is unique and distinct from everyone else. Diversity intrigues you. You are apt to be open to individuals who possess talents, skills, and knowledge that vastly differ from your own.

RELATOR
People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

Because of your strengths, you are quite content with your results as long as you can honestly say you are producing as much as you can. You maintain an optimistic outlook on life regardless of the value some people place on your results. Chances are good that you are regarded as a hard worker and a doer. You derive a lot of satisfaction from tackling projects without anyone interfering with your
plans or second-guessing how you do things. Driven by your talents, you feel upbeat and cheerful when you keep busy. Without question, you derive much satisfaction from producing tangible outcomes. It’s very likely that you consistently measure up to your high expectations when working, studying, or playing.


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.

Driven by your talents, you probably are a solo performer. You are determined to broaden your knowledge and acquire new skills. You are repeatedly drawn into the process of education. Instinctively, you are attracted to difficult and challenging endeavors. You are not inclined to look for the easy way out. You are bold. You take risks. You dare to stretch your mind. You test the limits of your abilities in ways that timid individuals would not attempt. Chances are good that you enjoy pondering what you can revise, correct, renovate, upgrade, or relocate. When you are curious about a person, event, topic, project, activity, or idea, you devote much energy and time to studying it. By nature, you yearn to be inspired by your work. You want experience to be your teacher. You need to feel enthused by your work or studies. You constantly acquire knowledge and skills. Whenever you study facts, ponder concepts, test theories, or sharpen your skills, you feel most alive.

Another Book:
I read a ton on my travel to and from work. The book that made me miss my stop on the train : Middlesex.

The August issue of O- The Oprah Magazine had a very interesting article. It was titled “Inside the Writer’s Mind.” The asked Jeffrey Eugenides, author of Middlesex,

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

The response:
The best thing is also the worst thing. It’s that, no matter how long you’ve been at it, you always start from scratch. Henry James said, “We work in the dark – we do what we can – we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.” Unless you ‘re the kind of writer who works with a template, where the narrative strategies remain more or less constant and the job consists of filling in the boxes with new material, then what you have to do, with each new book, is discover all these things anew. Your material determines your narrative strategy and your tone of voiced rather than the other way around. You change from book to book. You begin always knowing nothing. You remain forever an amateur, a first-timer. Sure, you might cobble together something akin to a methodology after a while, a working method, a sense of packing yourself through the seasons. But that’s about it in terms of the pleasures and wisdom of the veteran. What makes this worst thing also the best thing has to do with the agelessness of aspiration. When you’re always starting out, always trying to learn to do what you don’t know how to do, you remain close to the place (college dorm room, Prague Café) where you first set pen to paper. You remain in touch with that crazy, dreamy kid who spent so much time in the library. You persist in being impractical, idealistic, naïve, and brave. Your body ages, but your imagination remains young, and on your deathbed, if you’re lucky, you might be prideful enough to say to yourself, “I am finally getting the hang of this.”