In the category tagged “Learning” we find “Community”

JJL Community member Hilda Carroll has just done a terrific pair of postings at her blog, Living Out Loud (love that name!) in connection with our Learn to Lead with Your Strengths Project.

If you have seen the posts here with the JJL LP2 prefix, and noticed that we're on post 12, your next thought could very well have been, oh good grief, that is way too much to catch up on now! and I can understand that. Well, Hilda has given you quite a gift, for in just one article, her first post outlines a great recap and review of the book itself (Go Put Your Strengths to Work) for you. As I read it, I could really grasp Hilda's personal learning process in her reading.

A snippet:

Manage your weaknesses but focus on your Strengths
by Hilda Carroll, -I paraphrase in the [brackets].

The crucial difference between Buckingham's (and the rest of the Strength's Movement) approach and the conventional business approach is that once we [know what our strengths and weaknesses are] we start to focus most of our energy and attention on our strengths, and less on our "development areas."

Traditionally, it is held true in the business world that in order to excel in our work, we need to know what areas we are weak in so that we can plan a necessary training and development programme to overcome those weaknesses, and over time be able to add them to our list of strengths.  Buckingham argues this is a fallacy.

She later concludes;

Does this all sound like too much work for you? Remember, the purpose behind all of these processes is "to turn the best of our job into the most of our job." Getting to this point will take some time and determination, but the pay-off is to experience a sense of flow, enjoyment and (oh-my-God!) actually being happy in your work.

Hilda then follows up with Quit Should-ing! and within this second posting, she very honestly shares her experience within our JJL Project. I was very appreciative when I read it, for as the project's leader here, do I want you to participate? Oh yes indeed! However I do NOT want it to be an example of should-ing for you.

My productivity this morning knows no bounds. And it feels easy. ... Two things happened here that made all the difference.  I shifted my perspective on writing this post (one of Buckingham's proposed strategies for managing your weaknesses) AND I quit should-ing.

In the category tagged “Learning” we find “Community”

The title of my posting refers to something else I discovered when I clicked in to Hilda's blog this morning. Her two posts have created a new category on Living Out Loud, one she's tagged Learning. How cool is that!

Now if you spend any time reading Hilda's blog at all, you'll instantly know she's been a learner all along, and it was probably mere coincidence that the category was created as she wrote about our Learning Project. However, know this: If someone in our JJL community of learners clicks over to your place online, there is a really good chance that's the category they'll use in getting to know you too!

Capture your learning. Tag it to track it, and you will have a chronicle of your own journey to look back on and celebrate: You will thrill to your markers on how far you've traveled, and what the very process of learning has added to the life YOU “live out loud.”

And don't be surprised when you find that those in our community are on your road with you. We are learners, and we are community.

Related articles:

You will find the introduction to our JJL Learning Project here: Learn to Lead with Your Strengths. You'll find the calendar for the project in this post. Consider jumping in when we switch to our next book in mid-June, StrengthsFinder 2.0. David Zinger had reviewed Tom Rath's book here.

Quit “Should-ing” was a sub-topic within this posting of the JJL Learning Project: Step 4— Stop Your Weaknesses. Read it as a stand-alone concept; I wholeheartedly agree with Hilda that it can make a big difference for you.

The JJL Community Profile category was created just this month, and it is certain to be one of my favorites! My first profile was on Herman Najoli. This is how you get involved with Joyful Jubilant Learning, so I can find you too!

JJL Community Profile: HILDA CARROLL

“My name is Hilda Carroll and I am a life coach who passionately believes in the ability for all of us to be happy right now, even if right now life is kinda rough!”

“My mission is to help people realise that happiness is an inner state, completely non-reliant on external circumstances, and to help them learn to live joyfully in the present moment (because now is all we really have).”

Discover more about Hilda, and reap the benefit of her writing strength at her blog, Living Out Loud ... in the here and now. She offers up some generous free resources to you!

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Post author Rosa Say loves meeting the lifelong learners of the Joyful Jubilant Learning Community! She feels she is in one of her strongest activities when she writes posts which celebrate the Ho'ohana Community in all its fascinating growth. Will you be the next one she discovers and chooses to celebrate?

Comments

[Hilda]

Wow Rosa! I am gobsmacked by your kind comments (not that you are kind of course - that was already clear). Thank you so much for this post, I really appreciate it. I just couldn't help myself this morning - it was fun (one of my core values) to finally throw myself into it, and this response was unexpected, but a tremendous reward.

I hope to be a more prolific poster when we move on to the next book - note, not promising this time, keeping the should-ness at bay ;-)

[Rosa Say]

You are very welcome Hilda, for THIS is fun for me, with the JJL Community one of the greatest rewards I have online. Mahalo nui for being who you are, and for sharing yourself with us so generously.