Spit-up On My Shoulder

I’ve been taking a fascinating and eye-opening online class. The best part–it’s free! The class is Take Control of Your Career and Your Life by Marcus Buckingham and it’s through the Oprah website.

Marcus guides you through discovering your strengths and weaknesses. Once your know what they are, the goal is to build on your strengths and manage around your weaknesses. Since we’ve been taught our whole lives that we should spend more time improving on our weaknesses, I found his philosophy so refreshing.

Strengths are tasks that we love, that invigorate us, and ones where we find we lose track of time. Weaknesses are any tasks that drain you and you find difficult to concentrate on. Most people don’t like their jobs because, although they may be good at the tasks, they are doing things that drain, rather than energize, them.

Wouldn’t it be great to feel excited more of the time about your job, and I’m including parenting, instead of feeling drained? Of course, every job is going to have parts that are not energy-producing. Marcus shows how you can rework your job though, or find a new one, so you can focus on your strengths most of the time and feel invigorated about what you’re doing.

When you’re home with your baby, which tasks do you find energizing? Is there a way you can do more of those tasks and minimize or delegate the tasks that drain you? Maybe you and your partner could both take Marcus’ course, then make a family plan together that lets you both focus on your strengths whenever possible. I’m using the course to examine how I can use my strengths more in all areas of my life–work, parenting, managing my house, volunteering–and it’s been a revelation.

Your energy will increase because you’ll be doing more of what you love. What could be better than that?