Beginning ~ with the author's goal

Beginning = Tom Rath's goal

"In 1998, I began with a team of Gallup scientists led by the late Father of Strengths Psychology, Donald O. Clifton.  Our goal was to start a global conversation about what's right with people.  We were tired of living in a world that revolved around fixing our weaknesses" (p. i).

StrengthsFinder 2.0 ~ by Tom Rath, 2007, self-help, 183 pages, 10/10

Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?  Chances are, you don't.  All too often, our natural talents go untapped.  From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.  To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in 2001.  That ignited a global conversation and helped millions to discover their top five talents.  In its latest national bestseller, Strengths Finder 2.0, Gallup unveiled the new and improved version of its popular assessment, with 34 themes.  You can read this book in one sitting, but you may use it as a reference far longer.

My own five strengths (with a snippet from each category) are:

1.  Communication (pp. 65-68) — "You will always do well in roles that require you to capture people's attention" (p. 66).

2.  Connectedness (pp. 73-76) — "Explore specific ways to expand your sense of connection and purpose in everyday life" (p. 74).

3.  Empathy (pp. 97-100) — "You can sense the emotions of those around you.  You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are you own.  Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective.  You do not necessarily agree with each person's perspective" (p. 97).

4.  Includer (pp. 117-120) — "You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. ... you actively avoid those groups that exclude others" (p. 117).

5.  Intellection (pp. 129-132) — "Take time to write.  Writing might be the best way for you to crystallize and integrate your thoughts" (p. 131).

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

How did you "do school"?

"Doing School": How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students ~ by Denise Clark Pope, 2001, education, 240 pages

Since this book is almost a quarter of a century old, I googled the author.  Her faculty page says that she is a senior lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Education.  This book follows five successful high school students in their often stressful journey through class work, grades, and tests, all of which contribute to the lack of performance of even our top schools, according to this author.

I was an adjunct professor at a couple of community colleges, so I was curious to see what Denise Clark Pope has to say about the students in this book.  The last chapter in the book is entitled The Predicament of "Doing School," followed by an epilogue and information about the students in her study.

Annual inspection

My apartment will be inspected today.  This happens every year.  They want to see what shape it's in.  It means I'd better do things like be up and dressed and make my bed.  But it always feels like I will fail some exam I did not study for.

Two things ~ a book and a place

House of Shades ~ by Liane Dillsworth, 2024, literary fiction (London), 256 pages

London, 1833.  Doctress Hester Reeves, a Black female doctor, has been offered a life-changing commission.  But it comes at a price. She must leave behind her husband and their canal-side home in Kings Cross and move to Tall Trees — a dark and foreboding house in Fitzrovia.  If Hester can cure the ailing health of its owner, Gervaise Cherville, she will receive payment that will bring her everything she could dream of.

But on arriving at Tall Trees, Hester quickly discovers that an even bigger task awaits her.  Now she must unearth secrets that have lain hidden for decades — including one that will leave Hester’s own life forever changed.

Where is Fitzrovia?

Google tells me that it is a district of central London, near the West End.  I had no idea where it was, since I live in the middle of the United States.

It's Sunday again

101 Things You Need to Know ~ by Scholastic staff, 2003, nonfiction, 64 pages

What's the difference between heat and temperature?  Who was our twenty-sixth president?  How do you figure out the circumference of a circle?  Who made the first national flag?  What is a bar graph?  Where do you place the colon in a business letter?  Why do earthquakes happen?

One of my grandchildren was actually born on this day.

1. On Monday, I was feeling frustrated, HERE.
2. On TWOsday, I had two subjects, a book and a word, HERE.
3. Wednesday's Word was "sidetracked," HERE.
4. Thursday's thoughts were about all the friends who joined me while eating in the Cafe, HERE.
5. Friday's "book beginning" was from a book I found "blowing in the wind" on our outdoor patio, HERE.

is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

Wayside or sideways?

Beginning

Sue was very excited to be at Wayside School in Mrs. Jewls's class!  She was surrounded by all the kids she had read about in her favorite book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School ~ by Louis Sachar, 1994, children's (ages 7-9), 90 pages

"Everyone take out your spelling books," said Mrs. Jewls.  "It's time for arithmetic."  Sue is so excited for her first day at Wayside School.  But things at Wayside are far from normal — and Sue's teacher, Mrs. Jewls, is completely wacky.  She expects the students to add and subtract words!  Sue has never heard of anything so ridiculous.  She knows adding apples plus oranges is impossible . . . or is it?  Anything can happen at Wayside School.

Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts

Book Beginnings on Fridays.

The Thinker is thinking thoughts today, and so am I

It is supper time, and I haven't yet posted my thoughts for today.  The Thinker is reminding me to share some thoughts.  Okay.  Sue and I planned to have lunch together, but I decided to go down to our Circle@Crown Cafe early to have my breakfast when they opened at 8:00 a.m.

Alice McC. joined me at my table.  When Sandy M. showed up, I invited her to sit with us because today's her birthday.  Sue arrive a little before 11:00, as she had planned to do, and joined those of us already sitting there.

When I got a call from Sandra H. asking if I'd like to meet her in the Cafe (she lives in the neighborhood near here), I told her I was already in the Cafe, so come join us.  She was coming to the Crown Center for a program that met at 1:00, but she had time to eat with us before it started.

So my friends from here and there just came and went all morning, and I ended up being in the Cafe with various people as they met each other and left for their own activities.  Do you wonder how long I was in the Cafe?  From 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. as those folks chatted and ate together.

When I finally headed home, after walking around the block (going the long way home to get in my steps, in other words), I ran into Dora H. sitting in the lobby and sat down to talk to her awhile.  Other friends stopped to speak to us as they passed by us, like Alyssa with her dog Hazel, and Betty B. who sat down to talk.

I think I got in a good day's worth of socializing:  Alice, Sandy, Sue, Sandra, Dora, Alyssa, Hazel (yes, dogs count), and Betty.  And these don't count the ones we said hello to as they came and went through the lobby.