What Good Would a Sundial be in the Shade?
- Dawn L. Billings
- Jan 9, 2019
- 2 min read
“Hide not your talents, they for use were made; for what’s a sundial in the shade?” – Benjamin Franklin.
“If human beings are perceived as potentials
rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather than dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow in their capabilities.”
Do you know your personal strengths and talents? I always surprised at how many people have never really taken the time to really understand what they are good at.If you are like most people you have probably put your primary attention toward strengthening your weaknesses. We spend our lives trying to repair what is flawed and weak about us, while our natural talents get neglected.
I love this quote from Marcus Buckingham co-author of Now, Discover Your Strengths - “Strengths are not activities you’re good at, they’re activities that strengthen you. A strength is an activity that before you’re doing it you look forward to doing it; while you’re doing it, time goes by quickly and you can concentrate; after you’ve done it, it seems to fulfill a need of yours.”
“How do you discover your strengths?” you ask. Begin with gaining a deeper insight and understanding into who you really are. How much time do you spend contemplating and reflecting on YOU? Not in a narcissistic way, but instead, in a way that you truly gain insight into who you are and what your purpose is on this planet.
A great way to discover more about yourself is to learn about your personality and tendencies. There are hundreds of personality tests available to take but you need to find one that gives you insight and deep understanding of your strengths and the weak areas that can powerfully impact your success professionally and personally.
I highly recommend the Primary Colors Personality Tests and Insight Tools. You can learn about who you have a tendency to be in different life and emotional contexts of your life. Who are you when you are stressed, tired or angry, versus who are you when you are well rested, happy and excited. In different contexts of our lives we will lean on different tendencies. The more you understand those tendencies the better equipped you are to choose your actions carefully.
Learn all you can about yourself so that you do not live your life as a sundial in the shade.
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Dawn Billings is the Founder of OverJOYed Life and author of the Happiness Curriculum.
She is the architect of the Primary Colors Personality Tests and Insight Tools and Executive Director of the Relationship Help Resort. She also created the 26 week relationship help series entitled Relationship Help At Home.
Dawn is the author of over twenty books and hundreds of articles. She is the inventor of the patented parenting tool called CAPABLES and is the founder of The Heart Link Women's Network with chapters in US, Canada and Australia.
In 2008, Dawn was selected by Oprah magazine and the White House Project as one of the nation's 80 women emerging leaders and was selected as one of 15 Women of Achievement by the Cobb County YWCA.
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