Monday, April 19, 2010

A Good Day

I had a good day today. It was good because I got a lot done at work; I made a real supper for my family and even got the kitchen cleaned up after - including getting the floors swept; I finally got online to do a strength finder test I have been meaning to do for over a month now - I will blog about that a little later; and last but not least, I changed the sheets on my bed!!! Yup, tonight when I lay my tired body down, I will fall to sleep satisfied that all is right with the world. For now.

Some days I am just glad to have reached the end of it with my sanity intact. Other days, I am sure insanity was my saving grace! But today I feel as though I have accomplished something. It may not have been much but it is more than I got done yesterday!

So, as I said a little earlier, I did a strength finder test this evening and I will share with you my results. (Because you are dying to know, right!) My top 5 strengths and a VERY brief description of each are:

Connectedness- believe things happen for a reason; caring, considerate, accepting; a bridge builder; give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond ourselves.

Communication - like to explain, to describe, host, to speak in public, to write. I want my information/idea to survive.

Restorative - love to solve problems; energized by a breakdown; love bringing "things" back to life.

Intellection- like to think, mental activity; introspective - which leads to a slight sense of discontent as I compare what I am actually doing to all the thoughts and ideas my mind conceives

Adaptability - live in the moment; do not resent sudden requests or unforeseen detours, instead expect them; at heart, very flexible and stay productive even when being pulled in different directions.

For those of you who know me, you can decide if you agree with Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. Those of you who don't know me, well, you may know more about me that you ever cared to!

Maybe you, like me, have always found it easier to identify your weaknesses. I might not be able to do much about them - but they clearly define what I CAN NOT DO. Knowing this keeps me safe from crashing and burning in some ill-fated endeavor that should never have been attempted!

Instead, knowing my strengths helps me define what I CAN DO! This shift in thinking is a huge step to take. It changes my focus from trying not to fail to planning to succeed!

I know that I need to work on embracing my strengths and putting them into practice. I know that they have been given to me by my Creator who knows how best to put them to work! (And I am pretty sure that is an other topic of discussion altogether!)

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Does Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

I believe I have violated the first rule of blogging - if there are actual rules in which to abide by. The rule, as I understand, is to not let too much time pass between posts. And I have allowed almost two weeks go by! How did this happen? Ok, I know how it happened. I got busy doing mommy, wife, friend, employee stuff. Although, if I were to be completely honest about it with you, I avoided it. The pressure got to me.

It wasn't that I didn't have anything to blog about. I had a weekend away with my husband with no children (they were at my mother-in-laws) and am in the middle of an amazing book by Dr. Larry Crabb. My kids have provided me with many hilarious anecdotes and I have provided myself with a few too. I've even had a few "deep thoughts"! It is just hard to sit down and commit to paper (so to speak) those events, thoughts and ideas. It feels a lot like stage fright.

But I need to get over it! NOW!

So, I am sitting in McDonalds while an Alberta Spring Blizzard rages on outside, drinking coffee and blogging. I had forgotten in the past weeks how much fun this really is!

I am glad to have friends who have encouraged me to get back on the horse! Thanks Tyler.