Connections....Part Two

"Being connected" or having connections start with you and the self image that you present to others; and then it continues on to what you do with that self image. It is not just about you show others but what are you doing. No one gets far with just a handshake, you have to put some work behind it...
Connections are not just about what someone can do for you; but what you can do for them and preferrably in the reverse order. Being able to connect with someone is not just about your own selfish needs but what can that person gain from you. I don't think I ever really looked at it that way...to me "being connected" was more so about who you know and what they can do for you; which will never lead to true success because no one likes to be used.

Connections...Part One

Part One
Although I wouldn't consider myself a great networker, I know how important connections are in one's life. But was I surprised at how bad I did on The Little Black Book of Connections quiz? No...not really. I was surprised that I was in the lowest group but I wasn't surprised that I was on the low end. I don't think it makes me a bad person but there have been times where I could have used a helpful connection and didn't have one; and it made things harder for me. So knowing all of that you would think I would make a conscious effort to make a change...can't say that I really have.

All of my life, I have been on the more reserved side. Reaching out to people due to fear of rejection or not being confident in what I needed/asked/ wanted would always stop me from making those all too important connections. I hope to change that about myself and know that the only way to do it is to "do it!"; sitting around acknowledge the problem is going to get it solved. Do I agree with the assessment - yes...do I like what I have to change - not so much ;)

Part Two
I have always looked at myself as a fairly well educated individual. I know that I can expand my horizons if I put my mind to it, but I usually just keep on with the regular run of life. So being asked what three books am I going to read, was a great start to expanding on what and who I know. The three books that I plan to read are:
Book 1:Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't by Jim Collins
Book 2: Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin Seligman
Book 3: Not sure yet???

The three people that I plan to meet...this one I am not sure about. I don't know who I'd like to meet...

Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment

Myers-Briggs Personality Assessment

            If I had to guess my personality type, I would say Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging – ISFJ. I am known as reserved girl, with a laid back approach to life – if we have a plan great, if not, then that’s fine too, we’ll work it out. I think it is better to be honest without being hurtful, instead of being bluntly honest with little concern for one’s feelings. I like to make decisions but if I can make decisions and try to tie in how that decision will affect someone, I would prefer to do it that way. I don’t like conflict but I do understand that it happens, and is a part of life. So was I surprised by the results of my personality assessment, a little but the results were pretty much right on.

            I was presented with the personality type of ESFJ – Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging.  I definitely would not consider myself an extrovert. I have never been known as an extrovert, but in reading more about what an extrovert is, I realized that I am actually an extrovert! Once I realized that an extrovert is not necessarily about one being an outgoing person, I was better able to understand how they came up with my personality type. I enjoy being around people, I love to entertain and plan/throw events, being around those that I care about makes me happy and it is at those times that I feel the most complete.

            The assessment also said that my most natural leadership style is Participative Leadership. A Participative Leader is one who gets the job done through team work and collective involvement in the task. I wasn’t so sure at first about this, but when I sat back and thought about it, I realized that is also true. I did realize that my career choice of Human Resources is a good fit for me based on my personality type.

           

This I Believe

This I Believe…Dream. Love. Laugh. Hope

            There is something to be said for Disney movies. At least that is the way my siblings and I were raised. Whenever a new Disney movie would come out on VHS, my mom would buy it and we would have family movie nights. We would eat pizza and popcorn, all of us sprawled out on the floor watching the Disney magic on our floor model TV. This quality time proved to be a saving grace to us, it kept us out of trouble and grounded in family tradition. As years went on and I reached teenage years, I found that we had gotten away from the Disney movie nights. The nights of magic, love, songs and sparkle had been replaced with nights out with friends and working at the supermarket. I missed those movie nights, those nights made me feel safe, secure and loved. So, I decided to go out and buy my favorite Disney “The Little Mermaid”; hoping to resurrect some of the childhood innocence. What one movie about a mermaid who was so desperately in love with a human taught me as a child, was now changing my outlook on life for Although I had seen this movie many times as a child, watching it now as a young adult was like seeing a totally different movie.

            After watching it several times in just one day, I started buying more of my favorite Disney classics, like Bambi, the Aristocats, Beauty & the Beast, and Pochantas; and was amazed at how differently I viewed these movies now. I saw the strength of a dream, the determination of love, the beauty of a laugh, the persistence of hope. I saw the way that I wanted to live my life every day. I saw what I wanted to be able to pass onto my future children, just as my mother had passed it down to me. I am sure my friends thought I was crazy but I didn’t care. I was determined to reach my dreams, to love hard, to continue to laugh and to push forward with hope until I couldn’t push anymore. You see in each movie, you see death, life, love, pain, hurt, anger – and throughout it all 4 words always stuck out to me – Dream. Love. Laugh. Hope.

            Now flash forward to present day, I am that same little girl who feel in love with Disney magic; except now, I have two little girls of my own that I get to share my Disney movies with. I think being a mom and watching my Disney movies is even different now than watching it when I was a teenager. Now, I am living my dream of being a mom, loving my girls more than any other thing in this world, laughing to the point of major pains in my cheeks, and hoping that I never disappoint my little ladies or my mother. I am sure to some it is crazy to think that an adult would write about Disney movies as a This I Believe essay, but it is more than Disney movies…it is about those four words – Dream. Love. Laugh. Hope. It is in those four words that I believe.