Archive for the 'Developing yourself' Category

Mar 02 2010

Strengthsfinder’s 4 categories of strengths: a creative reworking

Published by rachel under Developing yourself

Strategic Thinking, Influencing, Relationship Building, Executing: The four types of leadership strengths
This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Discover and develop your strengths

Overbearing corporate-ness is a problem with StrengthsFinder, its assumption that you must be manager at a Fortune 500 company if you’re reading it. That assumption turns off a lot of people, but there’s good stuff here if you can get past that. That’s why today I want to have a little creative fun while looking at the 4 categories of strengths in StrengthsFinder and how to use your type of strength to help you… Read the rest of this article >>

3 responses so far

Mar 01 2010

Punk spinning and why you should try it

Published by rachel under Design, Developing yourself

Spinning wheel with British flag background and giant safety pin through it

“Spinning makes you think of little old ladies.” Malcolm and I are sitting in the conservatory waiting for the sun to dip below the clouds and treat us to a rare sunset over the water. For the past several months, the sun had hidden behind the peaks of our neighbouring island, Hoy, and only for the next few weeks would it set right on the horizon before wending its way north to hide again, this time behind… Read the rest of this article >>

2 responses so far

Feb 18 2010

Developing the “Ideation” strength from Strengthsfinder

Published by rachel under Developing yourself

Top 5 strengths in grid
This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Discover and develop your strengths

Have you taken Strengthsfinder and had “Ideation” as one of your top 5? Know someone who has? Today I’m writing about something pretty specific: how to develop Ideation as a strength. If you don’t know about Strengthsfinder, it’s a fantastic personal development tool I’ve written about before. Strengthsfinder has fundamentally changed how I live and work, helping me see what’s unique and wonderful about what I… Read the rest of this article >>

3 responses so far

Feb 02 2010

Snozzberries and waltzing by moonlight

Published by rachel under Developing yourself

Winslow Homer

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” That’s the phrase circling around my head this morning as I watch another thrilling gust of snow sweep past the kitchen window. I’m thinking about the often delightful responsibility of being a dreamer, a storyteller, and how you tell a story that’s both honest and worth telling. A good story starts with the improbable or downright impossible I think… Read the rest of this article >>

4 responses so far

Jan 12 2010

If I didn’t care what people thought, I’d…

Here

“If I didn’t care what people thought, I’d…” I’d write on the blog about what I’m thinking about with Touchwood and life. I’d share this North Star stuff, the ever-changing plans and dreams, different projects I’m working on. The above sentences are from my notebook as part of an exercise from the book Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the life you were meant to live. There are a series of… Read the rest of this article >>

5 responses so far

Nov 22 2009

The Tale of the MacGyvered Christmas Gift

MacGyver to the rescue

Lately I’m getting some concerned emails from my family in the US who worry I’m sacrificing myself for the planet, huddling miserably around a single light bulb, icicles forming on my nose. Ha. I assure you, I’m far too lazy to make all these changes for some distant noble cause. Nope, I’m doing it first and foremost because I’m enjoying myself, a point which a little adventure reminded me of recently. I’ll… Read the rest of this article >>

7 responses so far

Oct 27 2009

I’d learn martial arts, but the dojos are ugly

Published by rachel under Developing yourself

from House of Flying Daggers

I’m thinking about beauty in design today, and how underrated yet essential it is. Something beautiful invites you in, welcomes you and uplifts you. Something ugly tells you to stay the hell away. Today I remembered that while searching for a place to learn aikido. A childhood dream Since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to learn martial arts. I love Yimou Zhang’s films (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), Jackie… Read the rest of this article >>

3 responses so far