Archive for January 5th, 2009
Soar With Your Strengths
… Which I’ll be honest, I thought sounded totally cheesy and ridiculous at first glance.
But after a brief perusal of the little pocket-sized book, I realized just how on to something the author was.
The book spoke reality: all too often in school or at work, we’re encouraged to fix the things that are “wrong” with us. To get better at this or improve that. Well, this book’s premise is the exact opposite.
If a student isn’t good at math, the book argues, don’t try to make her love it. Rather, let her flourish in her passion for British lit or pyschology.
If an employee is really good at Excel and administrative tasks, don’t put him on the phone making cold calls to new business prospects.
Sure, every corporate executive can benefit from media training. But that doesn’t mean that shy executive X should necessarily be the face of your company in a live interview on CNN to the world … especially not if he’s better at the written word or telephone interrogations.
If we strengthen the things we’re good at, the book proposes, instead of spending energy and money trying to fix what’s “wrong” with us, won’t we be better students and more productive employees? Better friends, better lovers, better partners? YES! (more…)
10 comments January 5, 2009
Gym Rat = Gym “Hog”?!
This past week I had two quasi-uncomfortable situations at the gym. I realized I’m not just a gym rat but perhaps an (unintentional) gym hog, too.
Backing up, the check-in people at the front all know me by name and so do most of the trainers. They see me so often that last spring, the owner actually asked me, while laughing, if I ever skipped a day — that I was “like clockwork.”
I kind of felt pathetic having the owner think I was there too much.
I’ve said before here that I’m a creature of habit, that I flourish in routines, within the boundaries of structure. I used to go at 5:30 a.m. when it opened until this fall and winter, when I took to after-work sessions.
And because I got there among the first (few) pre-dawn exercisers, I had full range of machines. So I always used the same Precor elliptical with arms: the one closest to the cubbies and magazine rack, and strategically close to the water fountain and the paper towel/cleaning dispensers.
Anyway, I didn’t initially pick it for any of those reasons (though it does scream of OCD behavior). The machine was just always available that early in the morning, so it became a habitual thing for me. (more…)
Add comment January 5, 2009
