Change Your Life: Focus on Strengths and Abilities

“It’s abilities, not disabilities that count”
(Peter Drucker)

Individuals who invest in their strengths are happier and more successful. This does not mean that we should ignore our weaknesses but, rather, that our primary focus ought to be that which we are naturally good at. In the words of leadership expert Peter Drucker, “Only when you operate from strengths, can you achieve true excellence.”

The kind of questions that I have to ask myself if I am to discover my strengths are: What are my strengths? What am I naturally good at? Where do my talents reside? What are my unique abilities? These questions are significant for choosing general life goals (being a writer, becoming a teacher, and so on) as well as for choosing to apply my strengths in the immediate future (prepare a sermon for my students, hone my creative skills, plan a vacation, and so on).

Again, it’s true that we should not ignore our weaknesses – we need to learn to write, do basic arithmetic, and acquire some skills at work just to get by in the world; at the same time we must not ignore our strengths – and invest most of our efforts cultivating our talents and abilities. We need to invest in our weaknesses so that we can survive in the world; we need to invest in our strengths so that we can thrive.

Take some time to think about your strengths, those things that you are good at, those areas where your talents reside. Once you identify your strengths, find ways to use them more often in your daily life. 

Don’t dwell on weaknesses and deficiencies

Focus on strengths and abilities.

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

 References:

1. Choose the Life You Want: 101 Ways to Create You Own Road to Happiness by Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD (New York: The Experiment, 2012) Buy this book!

2. Now, Discover Your Strengths by D.O. Clifton and M. Buckingham (New York: Free Press, 2001)

Work Transform Talent into Genius

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

Creativity Does Not Require Special Intellectual Talent or High IQ

The idea that highly creative people have some special intellectual ability lacking in the general population has been widely accepted for centuries. When the IQ test was devised, that idea was given new currency, and anyone who achieved less than a genius-level score (135 and above) was considered to have little or no chance for creative intellectual achievement.

However, when researchers began studying the lives of creative people and comparing IQ test performance with creativity test performance, they made two discoveries. They found that creativity depends not on the possession of special talents, but on the use of talents that virtually everyone has but most have never learned to use. In addition, they found that the IQ test was not designed to measure creativity, so a high score is no indication of creative ability, and a low score, no indication of its absence. In fact, they found that the great majority of creative achievers fell significantly below the genius level.

References:

§  J. W. Getzels and P. W. Jackson, Creativity and Intelligence (New York: Wiley, 1962) page 21

§  Torrance, Guiding Creative Talent, page 5 and 63

I’m glad I can still be creative even though I’m not genius

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

Nurture Creativity: Believe that You're Spider-Man

Spider-Man, the creation of writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko was an idea that almost didn’t happen. At first, Marvel Comics, the publisher did not think that readers would like or be able to relate to a superhero that was a spider (I wonder, how about Ant-Man?) But after almost 50 years now, Spider-Man has become one of the most famous and popular superheroes ever.

I re-watched Spider-Man movies all over again. How Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man is quite simple. Peter Parker, a nerdy high school student who wears thick glasses, loves reading, enjoy studying and is very unpopular and low profile. While attending a school field trip to a science exhibition on radiation, Peter is bitten on the hand (other version, on the neck) by an irradiated spider. Then, Peter begins to feel sick and soon starts to develop spider-like abilities. These include ability to stick to things, great strength, very fast and agile, and some versions adds night vision and ability to make spider webs (or through a machine he creates). The most unique of all is his – spider sense. Spider-Man the superhero is born.

What I like about Spider-Man a.k.a. Peter Parker is that he is unique among all superheroes. He is a teenager with all the issues that teenagers face (so it is with his adulthood). He is not really a tough hero. He shows a wide range of emotions that I can really identify with such as vulnerable, makes mistakes, doesn’t always have perfect relationships with women or others, is not always trusted by society and is not very comfortable in life generally. He is also alone much of the time than many other superheroes. In fact, Spider-Man doesn’t have sidekicks like most heroes. He often talking to himself. Spider-Man is so appealing to me because he is among the most human of the superheroes. Spider-Man, my favourite hero!

Now, what Spider-Man have to do with being creative? Simple: Spider-Man is you and me. We might not have great strength, speed and agility but we have minds that can produce great ideas. We might not have night vision but we can dream dreams, fill the world with imagination and casting visions for the future. We might not have the ability to make spider webs but we can make idea happened. Believe that you’re creative. God have provide you with these abilities, use it for good and responsively. Uncle Ben before he die says this to Peter Parker: “With great power there must also come great responsibility.” We are not superheroes but we’re special. We’re creative. Isn’t that amazing? Amazing Spider-Man are human being like us after all. Failures, mistakes and rejections may come your way but if you believe that you’re creative, you can make a difference like heroes. Use your spider sense, produce ideas and take actions.

You’re creative. “Everyone is born creative,” write Hugh MacLeod, “Everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten. Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with dry, uninspiring books on algebra, history, etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the 'creative bug' is just a wee voice telling you, 'I'd like my crayons back, please.”

Spider-Man is born

You’re born to be creative

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

How to Maximizing a New Idea

Danny Cox write in his book Seize the Day, “Even as new ideas are being developed, their horizons should be stretched. The world is full of useful products that resulted from attempts to solve problems that had nothing to do with the idea’s ultimate application. Part of remaining open to new ideas is to remain open to new applications. In finding broader or different applications for new ideas, you can also recruit support from other sectors that wouldn’t have had any previous reason to be involved.” Then he outlines few questions that we should ask ourselves about the new idea:

Can the idea be put to uses other than the use it was originally designed for?

Can the idea be modified in any way?

Can the idea be reduced in scale or expanded?

Can the idea be upgraded?

Can the idea be substituted?

Can the idea be rearranged?

Can the idea be reversed?

Can the idea be combined with another idea?

Then before you launched your new idea, ask also the following questions.  These questions are helpful guide to making a go or not go decision on a new idea:

Does the new idea make better use of most peoples’ time, talent and energy?

Does the idea improve operations or product quality?

Does the new idea cut waste or unnecessary work?

Does the new idea improve working conditions and customer service?

A new idea doesn’t have to solve the problems of the world to be worth the shot. As long as a creative new concept meets the criteria set forth, it’s a valuable addition to your life. You will always have to use your best judgment and exercise discrimination. That’s simply part of being a responsible person. I know you can do it!

Maximize your idea.

“The answer is out there,” Thomas Edison said, “Find it!”

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)

4 Measures of Creativity

What are the measures of creativity and how do we know if a person is creative? According to Ellis Paul Torrance (8^th October 1915 – 12 July 2003), also known as ‘The Creativity Man’, there are four measures of creativity: originality, fluency, flexibility, and elaboration.

Originality is the ability to come out with new ideas. Artists produce original works of art, composers produce original music pieces, poets write original poems, investors come out with original inventions and students come out with original essays. Even teachers do write original testimonials and reports.

Fluency is the ability to come out with lots of ideas whereas flexibility is the ability to produce lots of different kinds of ideas. A fluently creative person can produce hundreds of ideas, for example, on how to make money, on the uses of a paper-clip and on designing a dress. With flexibility not only can he think of ideas of the same kind but ideas of many different kinds.

As illustration, fluency in thinking of ways to get money include ideas such as selling books, magazines, toys, cakes, drinks, flowers, bookmarkers, stamps, coins, etc. Flexibility in thinking of ways to get money would include not only selling all the items above but also exchanging the items, making various items of sale, working for money, borrowing money, getting sponsors, soliciting donations, organizing a fiesta, jogathon, walkathon, etc.

 Elaboration is the ability to get into fine and minute details as in drawing things in detail, describing incidents at length and in explaining ideas and concepts in depth. A person who possesses all four skills is more creative than one who does any one, two or three of the skills of creativity. Do you have all four skills? If not, don’t be discouraged. Remember: creativity is a talent we are all born with and it is also can be learned and developed overtime. You are creative!

Lord, Give Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)