I Am Happiest When [No.31]

Posted by Jill Chivers in Happy

The power and wisdom of going with the flow

I’m a perserverer. I stick at things.

I’ve had to learn the hard way (oh the irony!) of learning the power of going with the flow.

There’s a lot of research to support the approach of working to your strengths, and not trying to work on too much on, or focus on, your weaknesses. This of course is a challenging idea to many corporations who focus on their employees “development areas” and try to turn weaknesses into competencies, if not strengths.

And I come from a corporate background where that thinking was ingrained in me: work on your weaknesses. I once endured a 3 hour project performance review that was solely focused on everything I was doing wrong on a particular project.

I remember it to this day, despite it being nearly 20 years ago now, because of how painful it was, and how odd I found the focus of this review. I remember thinking: Why aren’t they at least mentioning all the great things I’m doing? All the positive aspects of who I am? All the advantages I am bringing to the project?

We now collectively realise the great value to our emotional and psychological wellbeing of focusing on our strengths, and going with the flow of what comes naturally to us.

It makes us more productive to work this way, and it makes us more creative.

We literally can fly when our focus is on what we do naturally well. When our focus is on and we are working to our strengths, even when there are difficulties and obstacles, we still feel like we are on track.

I am happiest when (#31)

I am working creatively. I work from home a lot with emerging entrepreneurs and leaders. It’s pure joy to work with an inspired entrepreneur with a great idea, a passionate heart and a deep desire to bring their talents and offerings into the world, and to help them achieve their vision. I like to use a range of innovative and stimulating, sometimes unexpected, tools that tap into not only their productivity but their creativity. We want to explore and play, as well as produce and achieve.