I am a practitioner of the 'browse and learn' school of thought, which is probably why a comfortable bookstore is one of my preferred haunts. Occasionally, I will focus my efforts to become an expert at something, such as my focused pursuit of my Masters degree a few years ago. But I am happier to gather and tuck away hundreds of unrelated facts from multiple disciplines and to discover their interrelation as I work and play. If I am to believe the conventional wisdom of adult learning theory, most folks want knowledge they can immediately use. I, on the other hand, don't mind waiting for a previoulsy useless factoid, memory or hunch to reveal its usefulness in a new or unrelated situation.
Over the years I have taken many personality tests, inventoried my skills and diagnosed my work-style. I enjoy taking these tests and I learn much from them, while purposely avoiding the temptation of allowing them to be self-limiting prescriptive depictions of what to expect from myself. I believe that circumstances, immediate need and other factors such as emotion, sense of purpose and spiritual alertness can influence behavior in any given moment. Nevertheless, these sorts of tests are generally both affirming and challenging. Affirming because--well--who doesn't enjoy reading a litany of their many strengths? Challenging, because I have had to accept that my strengths put me within a group of people who make up perhaps five percent of the workforce.
So, in case you thought I was an oddball, you now know why.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Sunday, April 04, 2010
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