What I learned from.... a currency

Yesterday was.... the first Monday of the month - cue my turtle friend Robert Hruzek's Middle Zone Musings Group Writing Project: What I learned from..... (duh, and don't forget to fill in the blank -  no we won't Bob, we know the 'drill' by now)

My contribution this month: What I learned from a currency.
(extended version of "The Currency: Talent" published as Birthday-party contribution at Liz' Successful and Outstanding blog-gers)

There is a well-known biblical parable about Talents (an old currency), which still is true.  (I’m sure you know the story, otherwise, read it here)
The one servant who didn’t use his talent angered his master. Moral of the story – in the most simplest way: if you have a talent you have to put it to good use.

But in order to do just that you have to know, realise, recognise what your talents, strengths are. And that’s the most outstanding single fact that happened to me this year.

Beginning this year, through a publication of the Gallup Organisation, recommended to me by Kent Blumberg in a mind-blowing way I recognised those characteristic of myself others had already discovered as my strengths. Mind-blowing in a way that I first didn’t believe the results of the test.

Learner – Input – Maximiser – Intellection - Connectedness
the talents/strengths I have to put to good use to the best of my ability.

What’s funny though is as soon as you realise and recognise those unique personal traits everything seems to shift into place.
You suddenly realise why those tasks/jobs where you can work to your ‘strengths’ are the ones you can never get enough of, those are the ones that almost always seem to give the best result, the most success. You feel, become more complete as if everything fits together – at least that’s my experience.
Over the last months I've must have said at least a thousand times: I'm really having the time of my life!

But there is more. Relationships start to shift too, for the better. Specially with those persons who had long before you even had the slightest inkling realised and recognised your talents and strengths. They almost let out a ‘sigh of relieve’ – finally!

As soon as you realise and recognise that what they had already noticed, the relationship changes. It becomes a two-way-traffic of unconditional trust and belief. Traffic in combined efforts, supplementary talents where 1 + 1 makes 5. Isn’t that a great ‘return of investment’ on the currency Talent?

The best examples I can give are the (increasing amounts of) projects I’m working on/for together with those very special persons

Working together with Richard C - first on his Company Doctor typepad blog, now on his new Wordpress bizRichard blog and static website - has been and still is a constant buzzing process of bouncing off ideas, trying out other software - he or I find-  to enhance my own business too (AWeber is a good example of that) and the list of future projects for this is growing (stay tuned!).
I like to think we've become a proper team.

'Teaching' others the wonders of the blogosphere (i.e. talking about and showing the results of how I learned and maximised blogs and blogging software) turned into a fun filled project with Lesley, The IT Girl. Every workshop we have done so far is filled with tremendous enthusiast neo-bloggers. I'm so glad Lesley is by my side, she's the real teacher and most times manages to temper my over-enthusiasm (especially when I waltz through the matter with my well known seven-miles boots, conveniently forgetting the steps it took me to learn or understand something I'm explaining to our 'students').
I like to think we've become a proper team.

Then there is Peter, my local business friend who keeps calling me a 'bully'. He now has two blogs to his name, filling it almost daily with his knowledge about the benefits (and dangers) of water treatment and nutrition. Next project with him is to transfer his static website to the typepad platform so he can 'content manage' it himself. He's a wonderful guy with thousands ideas - a month - and I'm trying to guide those ideas into workable plans - and 'copy-extend-paste' his ideas into our own business if so suited.
I like to think we've become a proper team.

And my circle of special persons is growing.

Sometimes the more I ponder about it and the more I reap and share the fruits of it, the more mystical it feels.

I’m fine with that.
Mystical has its own place between heaven and earth. Like strengths.

Comments

[Robert Hruzek]

Hi Karin; great subject here! I think uncovering our own strengths and weaknesses is like when your eyesight ain't what it used to be, then putting on glasses and seeing things clearly all over again!

It gives you a "framework" with which to take on all future challenges.

Good post, my friend! Thanks for joining the fray this month!

[Karin H.]

Hi Bob

Thanks - would you mine if I steal your metaphor of the glasses for future reference? ;-)

Karin H.

[Robert Hruzek]

Hey, no worries, Karin! Use it, pass it on, whatever... :-)

[J. Erik Potter]

Nice contribution, Karin. I've been meaning to take that Strength Finder test. You've inspired me to just get it over with.

Couldn't agree with you more about sharing talents as well. Why keep them to yourself? I went through medical training after 9/11 as part of a company initiative. My instructor encouraged us all to share our talents beyond our "company" realm. I've been a volunteer EMT/Firefighter in my small town ever since.

[Karin H.]

Hi J. Erik

Good on you! And I guess you're getting more 'rewards' for it personally than finding it mere a task?

Enjoyed your contribution too, smiling is such a simple but important 'feature' that turns into a mutual benefit.

Karin H.

[Joanna Young]

Hi Karin

Isn't it amazing how finding your strengths is helping you to build teams?

It's a great thought to start my day :-)

Joanna

[Karin H.]

Hi Joanna

Glad to be of 'help' ;-)

Would strengths also help us with the Teaching Sells course? I'm getting the feeling - just started - that teams are forming there too. Swapping and encouraging ideas.

Karin H.

[Joanna Young]

Karin - yes. There's an explicit encouragement to do joint venturing, but also lots of support, encouragement, swapping of information, knowledge and ideas through the forums. I'm trying to dip in once a day - finding the e-mail digest of comments the easiest way to do so, as otherwise it's a bit overwhelming trying to work out what's going on.

Joanna

[Karin H.]

Hi Joanna

It is (seems so far) a very interesting course, I'm trying to 'keep-up' as best as I can, the forums are really an extra top-bonus!

Karin H.