Finding my Strengths

I took this assesment by www.strengthfinders.com to find my strengths.  The idea is that once we know our strengths, we should live our lives out of our strengths instead of strengthening our weaknesses.  It's a concept I totally agree with.  I would much rather spend time living out of my strengths instead of being constantly frustrated by my weaknesses.

Here are my strengths in order of importance:

FUTURISTIC: I think about future possibilities and ask "What if..." a lot.

INPUT: I collect ideas and information.  I am very inquisitive.

LEARNER: I like learning new ideas and subjects.  I enjoy the journey from ignorance to expert.

FOCUS: I always have a goal ahead of me.  I filter every decision and action on the basis of whether it will help me achieve my goals.  When there's tangents, I want to get back on course.

RELATOR: I seek to develop deeper relationships with people I meet.  I'm not satisfied with a "surface level" relationships.  I want to know how the other person is wired; what their likes and dislikes are; their personal history.

Any comments?  Is it right on or totally off-base?

Building Relationships

I was listening to someone talk about building relationships with people.  They outlined an intriguing way to build relationships:

Level 1: HISTORY SHARING (sharing experiences from the past)

Level 2: AFFIRMATION (words to God about you, words to you about you, and actions to impact your world)

Level 3: COVENANT ("I can tell you what I think, feel and know and I can trust you with it.")

Level 4: DREAMING ("If I can trust you with my past [Level 1] and my present [Level 2 and 3], then I can trust you to help me with my future [Level 4].")

When you think about your relationships with other people, what level are they at?

Pick one relationship you want to cultivate and grow: What might you do to take your relationship to the next level?

Struggling to Find out What Your Kids Learned At School?

Instead of asking: "What did you learn today at school?",

I've been asking:

"What questions did you ask at school?"

It's cool to see the conversation shift.