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).
The other day I was sure that I was right about a particular issue at work. One of my team members had prepared a document that I was not that happy about. In fact I questioned it to the extent that I went to an outside source to check its accuracy. During this process I was open to the possibility that I was incorrect, but didn’t feel that I was. The end result was that I was incorrect and the team member was correct. This was part of my open-mindedness to the possibility of being wrong.
at age 21 i got bored working as medical lab technician. i had background in theater and acting.it was 1974. i had come to conclusion that in india we needed mass education and i thought film was a powerful medium so i
decided to learn film-making.
there were no school.only way to learn was to be a junior assistant to a
director.so i searched around and chose name of one director whose current film i liked. i went to film’s producer’s office and obtained his phone number.i called and spoke to his wife for 30 days,everyday same time.finally shetold me where and when i can see him.
eventually i worked with 4 genius directors of my time.
love of learning and persistance
Creativity.
Aftre a brief – but unsuccessful- foray into the tv format industry we decided we needed to rebrand. This time we would attend the Industry Fair in Cannes dressed as er, dogs..for results go to Youtube and type in “trevor goes to Cannes”
Honesty
I always buy veges from a man who sells veges door to door, He comes once a week and late at night, we pay him the amount asked, and he leaves the price list with me and i check after he is gone. Once i saw that he has forgot to include 2 items in th price list, being a small amount i could have ignored it very easily but (as i sincerely believe in KARMAS) i saved the list notified him and paid the balance following week. This mistake happened thrice but everytime io notified to him.
My honesty paid me when suddenly he stopped delivering veges to my nebhouring areas but continued to come to me. I fell so grateful to him and my LORD and all the blessings in my life.
Thank you
The love of learning is one of my strengths.I worked for a number of years at construction in Holland. I worked over 70 hour weeks in 5 days, and studied for 16 hours at the weekend, doing half-year modules for an honors degree in Psychology.My work colleagues and myself used to drink in a student bar in Amstel in Amsterdam.
One night I indulged a little too much, and ended up going all around the block all night looking for my accommodation.When i eventually found it, my colleagues were there hours before me. One of them commented, “Could you not read the numbers? I thought you were good at that.”I replied, “I’m not bad at numbers, when i can see them!”
I learned a valuable lesson that night. No matter how much one knows, when alcohol gets into the system,one becomes just like any other drunken person!”
Self-regulation
I am a masterpiece of will-power over neurosis.
I am dangerously self-disciplined. I avoid embarrassing myself, to the point of being boring!
My story is that on a backpacking trip we all had to introduce ourselves and tell an embarrassing story about ourselves. Most people had us rolling in the aisles with laughter, but I really had no embarrassing story. I find things embarrassing, sure, but never do anything risky enough to make for a funny story.
Curiosity – when I was a little girl, I used to spend time on the farm with my grandfather. He had pigs and I would accompany him as went through the dailiy ritual of feeding the pigs. I was not tall enough to see over the walls of the pig sty and even when standing on a bale of hay could only just see the tails and ears and hear the grunting. When Pa went off to see to the sheep, I dragged a steel feed bucket over to the bale of hale, loaded it on and climbed on top for a real look at the pigs. Needless to say, the bucket wobbled and I bounced over the fence and into the pig sty. The rest is history – while curiosity in this case did not kill the cat – it certainly wained my interest in pigs!
Originality.
One day while giving a talk, I asked the audience to imagine what goes on in their mind when the word “intercourse” was mentioned. There were some laughs and giggles and I could see everyone suddenly perked up. I got their attention. I was actually on the subject of communication which I entilted social intercourse, not sexual. I got a STANDING ovation. Is yours standing?
I was stunned that one of my top strengths was ‘prudence’ since I have undertaken many risky things in my life, usually as a result of another of my top strengths – curiosity. I can remember only two major and probably telling instances of prudence – not doing something I might regret later. Strangely enough both were to do with the decision to enter into a relationship with someone. I think both decisions were right in hindsight. And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter!
Creativity, I was working in Papua New Guinea as a boat builder (after my original contract as a medical and and industrial product sales person) drawing on my experiences as a Qualified Boilemaker and Nurse! I was at the airport and noticed an F28 international aircraft sitting idol. I thought there must be a deal here! After checking with the engineering dept I discovered the plane to be damaged. So I offered a silly price for the plane which they to my amazment accepted. I tried to sell some of the retrievable parts on line without success so not tobe put off I enlisted the help of some locals and we cut the plane up for scrap and made a 3500% profit just for asking a question.Love it!!