“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What’s a sundial in the shade?” — Benjamin Franklin

What makes YOU stand out?

One of my greatest mentors once told me, “No  matter how hard you try, no amount of training will help you truly excel in your areas of weakness. You just can’t be good at everything. But if you work WITH your talents, instead of AGAINST them, you have the potential to be extraordinary.”

Great advice from a great man.

But how in the world does one identify these elusive “strengths” in the first place?

Self-reflection hasn’t exactly been one of my strong points. I’ve discovered my talents, like most – through trial and error. Noticing projects that I was enthused about, skills that I excelled in, as well as things that were completely beyond my capabilities.  (Believe me, when I suck at something, I really, really suck. Ahem, MATH.)

About a year ago, my business partner suggested that we read a book called Strengths Finder and complete their online assessment. Her thought was that by comparing results,  we could identifying each other’s gifts and use those talents to work for the betterment of our lives, careers and, of course, clients.

I’m so thankful that we did!

In reading the material and taking the quiz, I found my personal  top five strengths to be:

• Woo “People who are especially talented in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.”
• Communication “People who are especially talented in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.”
• Activator “People who are especially talented in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into actions. They are often impatient.”
• Significance “People who are especially talented in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.”
• Strategic “People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.”

The discovery of these specific strengths (some of which I instinctively knew and some I did not) have been helpful both personally and professionally. Talk about emotional freedom! I got see in black and white the type of person I was and just as importantly, WAS NOT.

Let me tell you, this type of insight has the potential to change the way you look at yourself forever.

I truly believe that each of us has a unique contribution to make to the world, that no-one else can duplicate. So it makes sense that by improving our natural talents we can positively impact our family, career, and overall quality of life. 

If you every find yourself asking yourself the question “What am I great at? What should I be doing with my life?” Strength Finders is a great fit for you.

BTW: Each Strength Finder comes with it’s own personalized code for you to use to access the online questionnaire. You will find that your resulting strength themes are incredibly detailed (way beyond what is listed above) and even include suggestions for how to best use your core capabilities. (For example one of my Activator action items was “At work, make sure your manager judges you on measurable outcomes rather than your process. Your process is not always pretty.” So true, so true!)

 

Tags: Strength finder

I keep forgetting that people on the web don’t really KNOW me. Oh sure, you know a bit about my family, my thoughts on various subjects and, of course, my running obsession. But unless we are pals IRL, you may not know me for the true GEEK that I am.

I’ll save you some trouble and just go ahead and out myself right now: I’m crazy about Potter.

I love everything about the Harry Potter series. I’ve read all of the books and now … seen all of the movies.

((sigh))

I’m not even going to wax philosophical about how light triumphs over darkness or my love for JK Rowling’s vivid imagery and compelling storytelling. Nope. Not even going to go there. (If I did we’d be here all day…)

Instead I want to focus on the educational benefits. As in how this one series helped shape a generation of readers… a fact that never ceases to amaze me.

In a study conducted by the research firm Yankelovich and Scholastic Educational Publishers, children and their parents credited the Harry Potter books with inspiring more youngsters to read for enjoyment. Over half of the children (between 5 and 17) claimed that they didn’t read books for fun before discovering Harry Potter, and 65% even reported they have been doing better in school since they started reading the Potter books. 89% of parents in that same study reporting their children showed an improved attitude toward reading, and 76% believed their children fared better in school since starting to read the Potter books.

I know that I have personally seen my own reading-challenged son work diligently to read and comprehend the series. I’ve shared with you before the intensive interventions that we’ve undergone since he was in 1st grade. The fact that he is putting forth such an effort to read a book of this level truly underscores it’s importance.

It makes my heart melt.

Well done, Harry. Well done.

Tags: Books, generation, Harry Potter books, reading, shape

As you well know by now, I am a quote girl. I believe in their power to inspire and entertain.

In my experience, the right quote delivered at the right time can truly change someone’s life. Pithy but profound nuggets of big-picture wisdom can give anyone direction, courage and inspiration.

A new gem I just discovered is “Dance First. Think Later.” This book is a collection of 618 “rules to live by” compiled by siblings Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras. Can I just say that I adore the diversity of the quotes? They cite figures from  Marilyn Monroe to Colette to Alfred Hitchcock and beyond.
“Dance First. Think Later.” is the perfect gift for family members, colleagues, recent graduates, newlyweds, new home owners, or anyone looking for a direction. (I personally took it to work and added it to that collection.) A sampling of the wisdom you can find:

Rule No. 176

“Be aware that most people are operating on a very condensed version of the Ten Commandments: the part about murder.” – Mark Bricklin, Journalist (Ouch! Something to think about though.)

Rule No. 97

“If you’re not in the parade, you watch the parade.  That’s life.” – Mike Didka, Football Coach (My new personal favorite quote.)

Rule No. 406

“A life directed chiefly toward fulfillment of personal desires sooner or later always leads to bitter disappointment.” – Albert Einstein, Physicist (So unbelievably true!)

Rule No. 103

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.” – Julia Child (Bravo, sister!)

Good news! I am giving away a copy of “Dance First. Think Later” to one of my lucky readers!

Here’s how to enter:

• Either “like” Hip As I Wanna Be on Facebook

OR

• Tweet out I entered to win “Dance First. Think Later” from @mammamania : http://bit.ly/dGI2ra

Please leave  a comment letting me know that you did one of these steps. Bonus entry if you leave me your own personal favorite quote! This contest ends on Sunday, February 27th at noon.

FTC Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own. This book is so right up my alley!

Tags: book, daily inspiration, dance first think later, don't give up on what you want most, Kathryn & Ross Petras, Quotes

UnMarketing – Scott Stratten
UnMarketing is a GREAT BOOK. If you are in marketing (and, truly, who isn’t?) or run your own business or non-profit, this book is a must-read. Stratten covers the changing landscape of business and customer relationships in witty and fresh way. (Thank heavens! Why does everyone always have to be so damn serious?) The central theme of UnMarketing is relationships – online and offline. He flips the entire concept of traditional marketing upside down and preaches engagement rather than old school interruption-based marketing methods. Heavy on social media engagement and advice, the book gives tons of tips and practical methods for building a strategy that will work for you, your brand or non-profit.

Verdict: Buy it now. Read it. Highlight it. Read it again. Repeat.

Hunger Games / Catching Fire / Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
My sister originally turned me on to this series. It took me one week to read all three of these novels. One week. (Working full time even.) Not a lot of sleep. I loved them. Loved! The concept was original. The story was riveting. Did I agree with all of the plot turns? Admittedly, no. But I enjoyed the heroine immensely, even with all of her flaws. And the ending… was a sigh of relief.

I hear they are even making these books into a movie. I’m not so sure that I’ll be lined up to watch it, though. The characters really came alive for me and usually that guarantees that I will hate a Hollywood interpretation.

Verdict: If you haven’t picked up the Hunger Games series I urge you to run to your nearest bookstore or library. They are well worth your time!

NEXT MONTH: Bird by Bird – Some Instructions on Writing & Life by Anne Lamott. I’ll report more on that and others next month…

Tags: book, catching fire, hunger games, mockingjay, reading, scott stratten, suzanne collins, unmarketing

I don’t know about you but I am always on the hunt for new reading material. I am an avid reader and can usually be found juggling one or two books at any given moment. (Not to mention listening to them via Audible.)

I updated this post throughout the year both to keep myself on track as well as give brief recommendations to others who might be on the lookout for their next great read. 

• Born To Run – Christopher McDougall
• My Life In France – Julia Child
• Social Media Analytics – Marshall Sponder
• The Digital Moms Handbook – McClelland & Padilla
• Trust Agents – Chris Brogan
• The Thank You Economy – Gary Vaynerchuk
• Eat That Frog – Brian Tracy
• Love Your Life – Victoria Osteen
• Trust Agents – Chris Brogan & Julien Smith
• Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
• Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
• UnMarketing – Scott Stratten
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Stieg Larsson
• Your Social Media Roadmap – Beth Schillaci
• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable – Seth Godin

Tags: Beth Schillaci, girl with the dragon tattoo, good reads, scott stratton, unmarketing, your social media roadmap