Understanding Good Works

Wisdom is the principal thing…

and with all thy getting,

get understanding.

(Proverbs 4:7)

I have had the pleasure of taking a plethora of personality tests. The premise was that people who did not know me would have me answer a battery of questions, and based on my responses, he or she could assess how I might fit and function within an organizational culture. Off the top of my head, I recall tools used like the Meyers-Briggs type indicator (where I was classified as an INTJ, which stood for introverted, intuitive, thinking, judging personality type); the DISC assessment (for which I do not remember whether I was a more dominant, influential, steady, or conscientious type); and the CORE multi-dimensional awareness profile.

For the sake of time and space, I will not debate the pros and cons of any of these assessment tools. I will, however, use CORE to provide a summary of what each personality type may indicate. For example, words used to describe:
Commanders are ambitious, focused and extremely task-driven.
Organizers tend to be linear and logical.
Relators are loyal, trustworthy and caring.
Entertainers are enthusiastic, charismatic and energetic.

To learn more, visit https://www.coremap.com/

In looking at the descriptors, it is easy to understand that no one is all of any of the above all the time. My resentment with these tools was that I never accepted an assignment to a particular box or quadrant. I adjusted my fit and performance contributions to the situation. In my current season as a business owner, I can transform into any and all of these personality types in one meeting, depending on what I am attempting to accomplish!

I used the example of personality test to illustrate what I am learning on this journey of discovering my purposed work. The tools that worked successfully before may be irrelevant in new dimensions of work. In the past, I thought people sought my help because of my technical competency in manufacturing and my work ethic as the “go-to girl” who knew all the details that no one else considered important. These days, neither of these matter as I find myself doing more creative type of works than I ever imagined. Information requires revelation, so when I prayed, I received the spiritual instruction to stop seeking the external perspective of how others saw me and expected me to work. Instead, I am discovering new skills and talents. Wisdom helps me to see new possibilities.

Carl Jung’s work is the architecture from which many of these personality tests are derived, so it is only fitting that I use one of his quotes about the importance of understanding self in discovering your good works. What’s hidden inside of you waiting to be awakened for you to live in your purposed work? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

It Really is Good Works

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail

 in our lives of love for God is worked into something good

(Romans 8:28, MSG)

I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Actually, I have a love-hate relationship with technology gadgets. Devices that were meant to make my life easier have consumed my life to a point that I am missing out on life. Take for example that my GPS has become so critical to my travel that I no longer recognize milestones and monuments along the way of getting to my destination. Or the fact that my smart phone manages everything from the time that I get up daily to what I eat and drink to reminders of who I need to call to say Happy Birthday, except, without my telephone, I can’t, because I no longer have anyone’s number committed to memory.

I have reached a point where I am ready to disconnect from gadgets and some forms of social technology. I was inspired this morning as my husband and I were getting dressed. We were having a casual conversation when he heard his blackberry buzzing in the other room. He went to get it, but stopped talking mid-sentence, to respond to an email. In what felt like forever, I had flashbacks of interrupted meals, or our non-engaged teenager, or myriads of other personal irritants caused by my family’s addiction to gadgets. Then I went out for my morning walk and I had a meltdown: I refused to hit the START button to begin tracking my steps for the day.

I have become so obsessed with reaching 10k steps per day that I no longer enjoy exercise. So this morning, I walked just to walk. I noticed how much our neighborhood had transformed since the fall and how signs of spring were evident. Without the reminder of a clock, I decided to do something different, so I grabbed my hula hoop and jump rope and spent some time in the backyard exercising the way I used to enjoy it when I was a kid. Let's Move!!! #GimmeFive! And I had time to think about why today was so special.

Technology is good and really drives productivity improvements. As busy as we are, we cannot allow gadgets to cause us to miss out on the important details in our lives, purposed works, and relationships. I took some time to disconnect from gadgets and enjoyed the goodness of childhood exercise…and remembered, without the aid of my phone that today would have been my Big Daddy’s 111^th birthday. And to honor his memory, I am treating myself to ice cream and not scanning it into my smart phone app! Yes, all things, even detaching from my dependence on technology gadgets in order to really live life, work together for good. Do you have tips to share with others for disconnecting from technology? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

Women of Good Works

Where are the women on our American currency?

March is Women’s History Month. This thirty-five year old tradition began as a weeklong celebration of generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet proved invaluable to society.  Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”  To learn more about comprehensive contributions catalogued by the Library of Congress, visit: 

http://womenshistorymonth.gov

 

Social media plays a large part of creating buzz around current events. Last week, the hashtag #WomensHistoryMonth was trending on Twitter.  I clicked on several tweets and came across an interesting on-line campaign to change the face on the $20 bill from Andrew Jackson to a pioneering woman. A group, Women on 20s, has defined their mission to generate an overwhelming people's mandate for a new $20 bill, to be issued in time for the 100th anniversary in 2020 of the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote. The privilege of voting can be honored by casting a vote from a slate of 15 inspiring American women heroes, including

Francis Perkins

Sojourner Truth‎

Alice Paul

Betty Friedan

Shirley Chisholm

Rachel Carson

Barbara Jordan

Margaret Sanger

Patsy Mink

Clara Barton

Harriet Tubman

Susan B. Anthony

Eleanor Roosevelt

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Rosa Parks

In the spirit of elections, the effort includes mock images of what the highest vote-getter could look like on the $20 bill. Additionally, the Primary Round allows participants to vote for three candidates on the ballot.  The top 3 vote-getters advance to the Final Round.

Image from the “Women on 20s” Campaign

 

To learn more, or to cast your vote, go to

http://www.womenon20s.org/primaries

My research on @WomenOn20s introduced me to a new she-ro, Barbara Ortiz Howard. With the Women On 20s campaign, she aims to literally raise the profile of a woman in a male-dominated field. Barbara is taking her purposed work to new dimensions by asking: isn't it time for #genderequality on our money? Will you participate? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.

 

Faith without Good Works...

…faith by itself is dead

if it doesn't cause you to do any good things

(James 2:17)

I am so glad that February is over. Within my circle of friends, it seems to be the peak to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), where otherwise high functioning, productive leaders fall into this funk about the current state of their lives. Perhaps it is the lack of sunlight or the inclement weather that zaps the energy, leaving self reflective time to feel sad. To prevent myself from having the winter blues, I purposely use the inside time to journal about where I am and what I plan to do (when the weather breaks) to reach my goals.

Every product or practice began as a thought. I remember when I started to have serious thoughts of leaving my corporate job. It was during a period of the frustration when my natural work did not feed my passion. I thought about an exercise that I learned at a leadership conference. The attendees were asked to consider the following questions:  

What drives you?

What disturbs you?

What do you disturb? 

Your passion and purposed work should reflect what triggers you to want to do good things.

Wanting to do good works is a first step that must be followed up by actions that demonstrate wanting and planning to achieve the goal. It is natural to become overwhelmed with the details of how and when, or the doubts of fear or failure. That’s why drive and passion so important in a faith journey. In the words of Margaret Shepard: sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith. Keep pushing to move forward.



Image selected from the “Because of Them, We Can” Campaign
http://www.becauseofthemwecan.com/

So it is March and I have shifted into consultant mode. When my friends call and the conversation feels depressive, I turn into a coach: What drives you? What disturbs you? What do you disturb? Stop thinking about and do something. You will never get past the sadness of not living on purpose. What are you claiming by faith and working to achieve in good deeds? Feel free to comment, or, send me an email at latanyua.robinson@gmail.com. If you like this post and want to catch up on some of my previous discussions, please visit the full Purposed Work blog at http://ltr-latrobe-mfg.blogspot.com/.