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).
Here I’ll make a Labor Day story real quick. None of my friends nor myself have jobs. We all work for ourselves somehow.
People are amazed how flexible I am with my schedule and I usually let them pick the day and times that we meet socially or business wise. I rarely ever cancel and always give people the option to opt out last minute if they made a scheduling error. I just tell them the days or times that I am not available and they can do what works for them.
Maybe that is part of citizenship, humility and understanding. I’m really flexible on a lot of things. I just don’t sweat the small stuff.
Prudence
I have bought a suit from Tescos for a black tie wedding ta tthe weekend. I was amazed to pay only £15 for it! I have mixed feelings of disgust for supporting the Imperial forces of Tescos but my careful nature for both word and fiscal management (tight as a butler’s cuff) are rejoicing!
Curiosity and interest in the world
A friend invited me to come on out to the airport and take a skydive. I was curious to have the experience and to impress on my friend, my fearless nature. So, after 5 hours of instruction to take my first static line jump, I was on the plane and ready to go, still fearless in my mind, ha! When we got up to altitude and the jumpmaster opened the door, my heart leaped out of my chest. I did make my first static line jump, not remembering a thing of exiting the plane, frozen in fear, until the parachute opened….my friend was the jumpmaster, so he got to see it all and enjoy my ‘fearless’ moment of terror. I was humbled and yet excited by the skydive. I was so enthused that when I left the drop zone that day I was flying down the road, blissfully not paying attention to signs that warned to slow down and I drove over an elevated railroad crossing, which sent me and the car into the air about 15 feet. After a hard landing, I pulled over to the side of the road to collect myself and inspect for damage….about that time, my jumpmaster, who had been following me, pulled over and suggested that I ought to stick to skydiving….It’s much safer, based on my driving habits. Well, I stuck with skydiving, now I have over 600 jumps and various ratings in the sport, all because of curiousity.
I’m a real estate agent and we have tough times in our real estate market right now… Some good hardworking people are being forced to go through foreclosures and bankruptcies. They are sad and ashamed of their situation…
I did a free Market Analysis to help one young family. I later received an email from the wife thanking me for the report and telling me how grateful she was that I treated her with kindness and respect….
Creativity. And for my next trick….
Been mucking about with a character called Trevor – who has the body of a man and the head of a border collie. If you watch the video Trevor has great appeal and just by walking up the street can’t help but make people smile – which is a wonderful attribute.
However at the moment he is a mask without a face…
We need to work out what to do with him….
We will of course do a QEDP – Quality, Enjoyment, Doability and Price – indispensible for all skint creatives.
Youtube – Trevorthedog
Hi Everyone, Persistence. I am able to trace the begining of this adventure back to 1978. The previous year I had arrived in Cairns Qld from South Australia on holiday visiting friends and decided to stay. During these 30 years many things have transpired but the most important dream came True for me on the 2 June, 08. I had been working as a nurses Aide in Adelaide and had damaged my back lifting patients. I didn’t kow anything then about sciatica or how my body heals itself or about Tai Chi Chuan. When I was up here visiting my body pain became worse and worse until I could hardly walk. I went into the local Newsagency and purchased a book called Tai Chi “A Way of Centering”. I tried and tried to teach myself Tai Chi to help begin the healing process. That book is still on my bookshelf behind me now. The other book I met was “The Power of Chi” and it was this book which really began the adventure. Always over the years in my mind was a Dojo and a “Sifu” Teacher. The plans all fell into place, my training commenced. (Knowledge is not enough, We must do) Bruce Lee. I have trained with other Sifu’s and two Grand Masters and have nothing but respect and gratitude for all of their teachings. My persistence continues as I carry the Tradition of Oral lineage training. This years Academy newsletter had the heading “Persistence Pays Off” My title of “Sifu” was created on 2 June, 08.
During the first week of law school the professor kept using the term, “cause of action.” I raised my hand and asked what it meant. In that instant, the whole class burst out in laughter (I laughed too), but then pressed for the answer. It was undeniable after that question that I was at the bottom of my class. This knowlede did not deter me, but I knew I would have to work hard to come up to the level of my classmates, many of whom worked in the legal profession. I graduated number one in my class cum laude. I persevere.
Persistence
A few years ago one of our customers was behind in paying their account. It was a large amount of approximately $35K and as we were a new fledgling Company we were sweating on every cent coming in to meet our bills.
As the weeks slipped into months my plan of attack was to phone the Director of this company DAILY until the funds were recovered. So for 2 months I phoned daily (sometimes twice daily), using different phones to make the calls so as to catch him off guard! Like a terrier dog I kept this onslaught of annoyance up even to the extent of travelling interstate to confront him face to face. While I did manage to drive him to distraction and at one stage he said’ “I wish you worked for me”, I didn’t manage to recover any of the funds before the company in question was declared bankrupt.
But on the up side of all this, if I was ever to write a book on “One Hundred Excuses to Get Out of Paying Bills”, I would feel well qualified!!!!
Many years ago, I changed work from the private sector in engeeniering, to one in a Public University. Even though my then new job was in a different area of that of my previus job, I started to learn the core of the knowledge and technology of taht field. To my surprise many of my peers professors did not know the foundations, the history of the department field that we were working at.
Given that I have the nedd to understand any topic first, and then to explain it to others, I did so, and I contributed to the until now, well understanding of a very important field in industrial technology.
Then, I used two of my main strenghts: Love of Learning and Leadership to contribute to the core knowledge of that university.
During one of my summer vacation, I assisted an organization in a social outreach to a remote community; I was to assist with the children,
I overheard their conversation how they were going to stop similar visit to a nearby community because of the lack of positive response from the residents.
Immediately I though to myself: If we could come and stay with them for a season and demonstrating that we care indeed for their development, their perception of us will change.
Upon my return, I shared the vision of the outreach with a group of young people. We were to go on our vacation visit each home and be transparent with the community.
A new era was dawn for this town and the organization’s idea of giving up on them was revoke.