Good Morning Faithful Readers!
Until Aug 15, I am planning to share with you my summaries of ten chapters from Tom Rath’s book, Are You Fully Charged? (AYFC). I began this series on July 30 with the book’s Prologue. Never before have I committed nearly a dozen posts to one author in succession so I am also asking you to join me praying for your receptivity to these remaining posts until Aug 15, and for the future posts being planned beyond to avoid wasting everyone’s valuable spiritual time and energy. If ever nudged to send me a suggestion, be it a complaint or praise, send to merlin.erb@gmail.com or text, call, WhatsApp 330 465-2565. Thank you.
For those of you desiring more “meaningfulness” from Tom, email me & I’ll send you a Word doc. of the ten chapters I’ve summarized thus far, or better yet, go to thriftbooks (earlier they had 8 copies @$6.19 ea.) so order your own copy(s). Who else do you know who could benefit from Tom’s journey to find meaningfulness in their work, & especially, retirement? And I also trust, you’ll encourage others to subscribe to the blog and thereby increase our efficiency.
Chapter Five: Ask What the World Needs
Double Down on Your Talents
There is something you can do, or be trained to do, in many instances, better than anyone else in the world. You were born with talents as unique as your DNA. Perhaps you have noticed how some people have a natural ability to comfort others in time of need. Another person has an innate curiosity and is always learning. And the next person has a great deal of talent for selling and persuading. These differences create far more diversity than broad categories of gender, race, age, or nationality do. This diversity of talent is what makes individuals distinct from one another.
Yet society keeps telling you that you can be anything you want to be…. If you just try hard enough. This age-old aspirational myth does more harm than good. While people can overcome adversity and are remarkably resilient, the most potential for growth and development lies in the areas where you have natural talent to start with. The more time you spend building on who you already are, the faster you will grow.
This is the main lesson I learned from my late mentor and grandfather, Don Clifton, who spent a lifetime studying people’s strengths. Instead of aspiring to be anything you want to be, you should aim to be more of who you are already are. Starting with your natural talents – then investing time in practicing, building skills, and increasing knowledge – yields a much greater return.
Gallup’s research suggests that when you use your strengths, you can double your number of high-quality work hours per week from 20 to 40. It also reveals that people who focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to have high levels of overall life satisfaction.
If you spend most of your time trying to be good at everything, you eliminate your chances of being great at anything. Unless your goal is to be mediocre at a lot of things, starting with what you are naturally good at is a matter of efficiency. Focusing on strengths is in many ways is a basic time-allocation issue. Every hour you invest in an area where you have natural talent has a multiplying effect, whereas each hour you spend trying to remedy a weakness is like working against a gravitational force. Yet many people spend hours or even decades working on weaknesses in hopes that doing so will make them well-rounded.
Do everything you can to avoid falling into this trap. While well-roundedness may be helpful for acquiring the basic tools for any trade – such as reading, writing, and arithmetic – it loses value as you get closer to finding a career. At that point, what’s more important and relevant is what sets you apart. If you want to be great at something in your lifetime, double down on your talents at every turn.
Act Now Before Today is Gone
The bottom-line question for many us seeking meaningful daily experiences is how much of our time in a typical day is dedicated to activities that give us a positive charge or make a long-term contribution to society? When researchers ask people to keep a journal of how they spend their day, it is remarkable how little time falls into either of these meaningful pursuits that create sustainable well-being.
The reality is, you don’t always have tomorrow to do what matters most. A couple of years ago, I wrestled with this thought extensively, given my health challenges and interest in this topic. Consequently, I stepped away from a workplace consulting job so I could spend all my time on research and writing about how to improve health. I felt like I had to do something to help countless friends and loved ones who were battling heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. When I asked myself how I could use my strengths and interests to do more for the people I care about, it took me in a new direction! ( has experience on multiple levels)
BOTTOM LINE:
If you fail to do meaningful work that makes a difference today, the day is gone forever. You can try to make up for it tomorrow, but most likely you won’t. Before you know it, several days will have gone by, then a few years. A decade later, you may look back and realize that you missed the opportunity to contribute to the growth of another person, pursue a new interest, or launch a new product. But the opportunity to do something you love will always be there, as long as you start today.
NEXT UP:
Blind Spots, Defaults, & Job Crafting!