Garth Hardin is an expert at ‘Adaptability’. It’s his top ‘Strength’. It’s NOT mine.

Mine is ‘Achiever’.

So?

I’m sitting with Angelina in a Starbucks between Dallas and Houston Texas, within a few miles and date as our planned 2011 5k3c Expedition route.

We chose to delay the cycling expedition for a bunch of reasons, mostly resulting from unwanted outcomes and unplanned changes, all of which were quite upsetting for me, and painfully endured by Angelina and those closest to me.

You can read a few posts back for some of the story.

Instead of cycling, we’re driving and camping much of the planned route. We’ve experienced the same great outdoors, albeit ten times faster than cycling – while trying to create the same results we had for the Expedition.

Our plan was to cycle across America expressly to launch the Enterprising Cycle & DVD and initiate small groups for this fall. You might look into the archives to see that a year ago we tried to launch the MENtrepreneurs small groups by finding Facilitators. We learned that ‘Facilitators’ are NOT ‘marketers’. We found a great bunch of guys, but didn’t fill up any groups because I had a blind-spot. I assumed my ‘NORMAL’ was normal.

And this is the point of the post.

Blind-spots are just that. Blinding. They prevent us from seeing danger coming at us. Fortunately we can look around at the damage in the wake of an event, and recognize the ‘source’ of the trauma by spotting the inverse of any of our ‘Strengths’.

My top ‘Strength’ - ‘ACHIEVER’ means I take far less time than most everyone else to get stuff done. The inverse to this is that I expect everyone else to move along MUCH FASTER than they actually do.

Garth? I bet his ‘NORMAL’ – the ‘Adaptability’ he has learned, even perfected, is so closely held, that he can’t see how fabulous he is at it. He’s recovered from his torn ACL, and back out cycling already. He’s filling the ‘available’ time he has with adventure and work, as if the Expedition postponement wasn’t a big deal. He hasn’t complained or wined like I have. I had expectations. He ‘flows’.

Think about your ‘Strengths’ for a moment. Better, consider the ‘inverse’ of your top 3. How do you ‘offend’ others with a blindness about how ‘NORMAL’ your strengths are, or how much you expect others to be like your ‘NORMAL’? Do you beat yourself up, experience chronic stress on the ‘flip-side’ of your ‘Strength’?

BIG CLUE!

Psychological scotomas are just that – they’re personality disorders we consider ‘NORMAL’. Our limiting beliefs, attitudes and behaviors are right in front of us. We’ve spent over 10,000 perfecting them. They’re our ‘coping’ skills. They’re highlighted by the Clifton ‘Strengths’ Assessment.

We don’t see our blind-spots directly, even though they’re right ‘in our face’. To us, our ‘STRENGTHS’ are ‘NORMAL’, and the standard we set for our daily satisfaction. Some of us get paid for our ‘Strengths.’

Unfortunately they’re also the vehicle by which we wound those around us – because we judge others by our ‘NORMAL’ – which is FAR FROM THE TRUTH.

For more on this, go through chapters one and two of the Enterprising Cycle. Learn for yourself!

(my second and third degree blind-spots are INPUT and LEARNER)

OK, time to hit the road again!

Angelina? Let’s GO! I have to ACHIEVE much more today!!

(picture of my distorted ‘NORMAL’)