Leveraging Our Strengths, Our Superpowers to lead.

Written By Candice Lim

Like the lizard on the wall, I observe how the strengths of my parents play out at home.

With my Mum and Dad.

By sharing this post, I’m risking being reprimanded by my mum. She cringes whenever I talk about her on social media, not that I always do πŸ˜… .

But I’m going ahead with it this time because she’s inspired me to speak!

Growing up, my household was like living with 2 gentle forces of nature - Mum, the ever-busy Achiever (a strength theme in CliftonStrengths Assessment) who thrives on ticking boxes, and Dad, who has mastered the art of stillness.
Every minute Mum spends waiting for something or someone is, to her, a β€œwaste of time,” while Dad’s motto, β€œWhy rush?”.
Mum’s always on the go, while Dad takes his time to β€˜warm up’ to the day.

Like the 🦎 on the wall, I observe the dynamics between them whenever we are getting ready to leave home, and never fail to be amused:
Mum, all dressed up, sitting on the couch, ready to leave ANY MOMENT, occasionally giving Dad the glares that signal him to speed up, while Dad moves at his own deliberate speed, obviously so used to those glares to graciously disregard them.

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ. π‘΄π’–π’Žβ€™π’” π’”π’–π’‘π’†π’“π’‘π’π’˜π’†π’“ π’Šπ’” 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 π’…π’“π’Šπ’—π’†, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝒂𝒅’𝒔 π’”π’•π’“π’†π’π’ˆπ’•π’‰ π’π’Šπ’†π’” π’Šπ’ π’‰π’Šπ’” π’‚π’ƒπ’Šπ’π’Šπ’•π’š 𝒕𝒐 π’Œπ’†π’†π’‘ π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆπ’” π’ˆπ’“π’π’–π’π’…π’†π’….
They don’t see it yet, but they’re each holding a piece of the puzzle that the other needs.

𝑨 𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 π’•π’Šπ’Žπ’†π’” π’˜π’† π’‹π’–π’…π’ˆπ’† π’„π’†π’“π’•π’‚π’Šπ’ π’ƒπ’†π’‰π’‚π’—π’Šπ’π’–π’“π’” 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 'π’‘π’†π’“π’”π’π’π’‚π’π’Šπ’•π’š' 𝒐𝒇 π’”π’π’Žπ’†π’π’π’†, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 π’•π’‰π’†π’š 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆 π’•π’‰π’†π’Šπ’“ π’”π’–π’‘π’†π’“π’‘π’π’˜π’†π’“π’” π’Šπ’ π’π’Šπ’‡π’†.

I know very well that if only Mum & Dad had the opportunity to learn leveraging their strengths, they can achieve a lot greater things than they do now, inside and outside our family.

No matter how many people I coach to lead life with strengths, my mission as Strengths Coach would be incomplete without helping Mum and Dad to leverage theirs and each other's - whose differences have made life endlessly entertaining (for each other and for me and Bro! πŸ€— )

An item on my to-do list! Ain’t I after all the proud daughter of an Achiever?! 🀩

Candice Lim
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