Am I ever satisfied?

I was thinking last night and this morning about how some people must shake their heads and think that I am never satisfied with the status quo. After all, I spent nearly ten years in college, preparing to be a chiropractor.  I spent one year in practice before leaving to teach anatomy and physiology.  Last fall, I embarked on my personal mission to help improve corporate culture and making workplaces better places to be.

My desire to achieve great things is never satisfied

 

Am I ever satisfied?  Is my life or anything ever “good enough?”  Well, that’s actually a pretty deep question.  It depends.  Am I truly satisfied with my life as it is right now -- today?  Yes, definitely.  I wouldn’t change a thing.  I love my life, and I am truly blessed and satisfied with where I am in the here and now.  Will I be satisfied next year if nothing changes?  Who knows?  All I can say is that while my satisfaction in the here and now runs high, my desire to create a future full of doing and achieving great things is never satisfied.

If you have not yet read any of the popular books on identifying and utilizing your strengths, I highly recommend it.  Two of the books in particular are Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton, as well as Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath.

According to the Strengths Finder website, www.strengthsfinder.com, people who operate from their strengths “are more fulfilled and more effective. In a workplace, these employees are six times more likely to be engaged in their role.”

Their research indicates that people who are not operating from strengths at work probably:

• dread going to work
• have more negative than positive interactions with coworkers
• treat customers poorly
• tell friends they work for a miserable organization
• achieve less on a daily basis
• have fewer positive and creative moments
  

I can attest to this – I am a horrible salesperson.  I remember having a job which included the task of trying to get people to sign up for a membership as they walked by, doing their shopping, in a busy mall.  I couldn’t help but think of how I would feel if I were approached by someone pushing a membership.  I felt that I was simply bothering people, rather than helping them.

These books provide you with codes which allow you to take an assessment online that will identify your top five strengths, so that you can utilize them to their fullest.   I wanted to share my “top five” with you.

My top five are as follows:

Individualization: People who are especially talented in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively.

Futuristic: People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.

Maximizer: People who are especially talented in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. They seek to transform something strong into something superb.

Ideation: People who are especially talented in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.

Achiever: People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

After discovering my strengths, I could readily see how I do what I do well.  I can see in my work as an instructor how these strengths are utilized on a daily basis to give my students the best education I can provide.  I can also see why I constantly strive to do even better!

I can also see how and why I have sought to improve corporate culture one worker at a time.  I know that there are some of you who really like your job.  You wouldn’t trade it for the world. Yet, there are times when others get you down; there are times when you feel tired and uninspired; there are times that try you and test your mettle.

My mission is to give you that much-needed pep talk, or change in perspective, that you need once in a while, as you do what you do.  I urge you to also discover your strengths, so you know how you can find even greater fulfillment in whatever you do.

I will never be satisfied with “good enough,” because I know there is always “better” out there, and I ask you to do the same.  Even if you love where you are today, join me in asking yourself, “What can I do even better today?”

Go out and discover your strengths, and let them shine and bless the people around you!

Best wishes,

-Victor