Marcus Buckingham is my hero.  He has the ability to take something that may seem complex to many people and simplify it into a manner that’s easily understandable. 

In his book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, Buckingham introduces the reader to the StrengthsFinder or StrengthsQuest by The Gallup Organization.  This exercise is an online test that highlights the users key strengths in five areas.  I must say this — this test nailed me.  When I showed the results to my friends, they were nodding their heads in agreement.

One of my strengths was entitled: Learner.  This is what it said:

You love to learn.  The subject matter that interests you most willl be determined by your others themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning.  The process, more than the content or the result, is expecially exciting for you.  You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence.  The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered — this is the process that entices you. 

Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences — yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes.  It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. 

This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential.  The outcome of the learning is less significant than the "getting there."

Everytime I read that I am more motivated to discover something new.  Do the above statements describe you?

Postcript by Rosa: You can always find Tim Milburn, our Guest Author today, within the right-column listing of our Ho’ohana Online Community. Tim is the author of studentl.inc. His ho’ohana is developing lifelong leaders, one student at a time.