The only thing more interesting than a story about another person is a story about our own self.
Why is this so?
Because, naturally, most of us are more interested in reading about ourselves than reading a condensed history of the ten most famous people who ever lived.
This is the natural way of human behaviour and there doesn’t seem to be any indication that this is suddenly about to change.
DFQ #07:
In 100 words or less, post a story about yourself.Focus on your Top Strength from DFQ#6 and think of an amusing story that illustrates, or derives from, your top strength.
As you think about this story, recall some details about the setting, the people involved, the provocation and the ‘punch line’ or the outcome.
Don’t feel the need to interpret the story or comment too much on it–just tell it!
We are your devoted audience. Make it a good one 🙂
(NOTE: I realise this is a bit like karaoke and asks you to step-up. But if this DFQ is not for you, no problem, just skip it. All SOT training (even leadership training) is opt-in/opt-out).
My second ‘strength’ is supposed to be ‘self-regulation’. Telling stories about myself is one of those regulated items. I rarely to never do.
I just hope there are no more assignments like this! (word count 34.)
My Love Story.
I am a very shi and skiny person from my childhood. People make joke of my self. Though i was good in studies. But i have some really bad habbits thats are not good for myself. But i also have some good habbits like speaking truth, be loving and care to all. Be respectfull, and tolerant and openminded. As i a quality professional. So i usually seek quality in talks, and work all time. And this make my love more difficult. I usually pin point and find issues while i talk with her. And she got angry, then i turn her back in good mood. And this is happening since quite long. Some times she fights with me. And i back off. I am getting desprate to meet her. But not have a chance to see her. Only seen her in pics. She is pretty girl. We talk for hours. I dont why i am wasting my time in this . But i believe that sucess in life beings with wife. So i am waiting for that time to come. Soon i will be getting married with her. I have said to her that i love her. but she thinks in engauge is not strong relationship, so she can not say such words. Let see where my love takes to me.
Not a story really, but my curiosity and love of learning have taking me back to the academic world again. I finally in peace with what I authentically want to do with my life.
I’ll never forget one of my first jobs where I was supposed to tutor some mature aged students on the Internet and email access. When I arrived this gentleman sat me down and explained to me that he worked on computers when they filled a whole room and he had to enter punch cards to make them operate.
After the lecture we sat down in front of the PC and he refused to touch it. I had to spend the entire session on the PC myself with him sitting back behind me as if he was assessing how much I really knew.
I was a student at the time and I knew bugger all, of course.
Needless to say, he said nothing and thanked me at the end and let me go. I left feeling pretty small for my lack of knowledge and I still wonder how much he really knew.
But the fact is I showed up, had a go and it was great experience. Much better to fail trying than to fail to try at all.
Yesterday after doing the “strength” test, I asked my youngest son (21) what he thought my greatest strength was..he answered “my ability to encourage others to achieve”…I would have thought he would have mentioned my sense of humor in surviving his teenage years!
This strength may be exemplified by the following..the same son has learning difficulties. As a 14 year old he wasn’t achieving @ school. I took him to see an “educational” psychologist, to work out where he should be aiming career wise. After testing, I was told that he washe had no academic strengths and that I should remove him from school.
This was unacceptable to me. So, I sat down, looked at his academic strengths and weaknesses, worked (with much help) on his weaknesses, supported his strengths (academic, physical and social) and learnt to love every day for the opportunities of joy and challenge it offered. I learnt to look at the world from his point of view.
Same son is now near top of all his classes in law and commerce at University..is a delight to be with..and has a well balanced sense of his worth and place in the world..he recognizes others frailties, is non judgemental and a leader in his own right.
Creativity
In mid 2006 I had the inspiration to create a series of concerts in Melbourne. I wanted to focus on choosing good listening environments – not just because the concerts were focusing on experimental forms of music but that was certainly a driving force. I named the series after my radio show, “The Symbiosis Listening Focus”.
One theme at the shows that always used to garner comments was my use of tea candles around whatever space we were in. There is an aura that they create and it enhanced the space immensely.
All up I planned and promoted 5 concerts in the space of 10 months, as well as playing 5-8 shows of my own material during that time. It was an intense creative and organisational period but it taught me a lot.
I have worked with McDonalds for approximately a year to date.. this may not seem like such a long time since most of my friends my age have been working for about 2-3 years.. Even though i have been there for less time than many others, I have been promoted to Crew Trainer within months of my employment, and just recently one of the managers told me that i was “pretty much a manager”.. this would be very true if you looked at my work ethic.. not wanting to brag.. but I work very hard and I work many overnights.. a minimum of 2 every week.. It is good to have taken a leadership role so early with work and have earnt great respect from the management team and my co-workers..
My line of work is a mostly very serious, people need rely on our quick thinining and responsiveness in a setting which can affect peoples quality of life for 15-20 years following our interaction. I had the pleasure of using my creative side to get through to our sales force by introduicng the to a Wiggles song complete with actions to liven the moment. At our last sales meeting, this involved getting four of the senior managment in our organisation dressed up as the famous four leading a crowd of 80 people in Rock a Bye your bear…. It was a fantastic icebreaker and cut huge amounts of tension.
When I divorced several years ago, I took great pride in inflicting the least amount of pain as possible and fairly splitting our possessions down the middle with my then spouse. He was not a dislikeable person and had made me laugh a great deal during our time together. While he was on a long weekend with his girlfriend, I packed and moved out of our house, taking care to leave his favorite of our two cats behind with his half of the belongings. I was careful to rearrange the furniture, put everything in place and clean up upon leaving so as to make the house still seem lived in and comfortable.
We even went out for drinks after the official divorce proceedings were complete, his girlfriend, myself and him. He is still married to her, they were meant for each other and I have moved on with my own relationship, I’ve been with the same wonderful man for 18 years now. I feel I handled the situation with fairness in mind making the process and the outcome agreeable with everyone.
Parenting offers many opportunities to build upon my love of learning strength, and I was recently blessed with an eye opening chance to share my time and skills in my daughters kindergarten classroom. I was volunteering my assistance in the class and was working with a small group of kids doing a sorting and pattern repetition task. The assignment was to copy a pattern on a card placed on the floor with tile, buttons or shells, as on the card, and then to continue the pattern onto the floor beside the card. Well I was seeing firsthand that joy of accomplishment in matching the existing patterns and then the challenge of having to think about continuation. The results varied with each child as I observed them in the act of learning. I had a great time that morning learning about thinking and learning.