Just finished up with the AMCTO conference. Lots of good info, not only job-related but on the personal level too. And since I refrain from job-speak here, I’ll stick with the latter.
Paula Todd spoke at the closing ceremonies. When I saw her name on the list of speakers the only thing that came to mind was TVO, which is not wrong mind you, but certainly not the extent of her expertise. She seemed like a very natural speaker, and I was impressed at her ability to stay on stream all the way to the point, even with divergent stories meant as illustrations. Of course, she’s probably given the same speech a thousand times by now and has it all well tuned, but I was impressed nonetheless.
Her talk centered on her book (of course!), recently released, called “A Quiet Courage”. I might eventually buy it, though I’m not sure if I will get any more from it than what I got from her speech. Her point is that you don’t learn anything from success, but from what people deem as the failures of their lives. This is not only a self-observation, but one that can be applied in casual conversation. When you ask someone about themselves, they inevitably tell you what they do at work, how many kids they have… But if I were to tell you my title at work, I can guarantee you won’t feel like you know me or how I came to become the person I am. It says nothing. One thing she said that I made note of: “The things that teach us are the private hardships we keep secret”. It’s just not so cool to open a conversation with the litany of your hardships, it’s not professional or ladylike. And sometimes that is appropriate, sometimes people do share far too much, far too fast, but you just can’t really know a person without knowing their worst moments and how they overcame them.
Which is probably why it continually amazes me that people marry each other after meeting a scant three months before, or something like that. Even if you stay up all night talking for those three months, you just have to see someone at Christmastime, mourning their family losses to know them, or whatever the case may be. I think so, anyway.
Yes, I agree with Paula Todd, and I remember discussing this same principle with Nancy and this other person I used to work with a few months back. I am a better person for all the crap. I have learned. And yes, I’m about to quote Kelly Clarkson, or whoever her team of writers may be: “Thanks to you, now I get what I want”. Go ahead, laugh now.
Still doesn’t mean I need for a bad thing to happen. If you can hear me up there, I’m still learning from the last disaster, so maybe give me awhile, ok?
Paula Todd spoke at the closing ceremonies. When I saw her name on the list of speakers the only thing that came to mind was TVO, which is not wrong mind you, but certainly not the extent of her expertise. She seemed like a very natural speaker, and I was impressed at her ability to stay on stream all the way to the point, even with divergent stories meant as illustrations. Of course, she’s probably given the same speech a thousand times by now and has it all well tuned, but I was impressed nonetheless.
Her talk centered on her book (of course!), recently released, called “A Quiet Courage”. I might eventually buy it, though I’m not sure if I will get any more from it than what I got from her speech. Her point is that you don’t learn anything from success, but from what people deem as the failures of their lives. This is not only a self-observation, but one that can be applied in casual conversation. When you ask someone about themselves, they inevitably tell you what they do at work, how many kids they have… But if I were to tell you my title at work, I can guarantee you won’t feel like you know me or how I came to become the person I am. It says nothing. One thing she said that I made note of: “The things that teach us are the private hardships we keep secret”. It’s just not so cool to open a conversation with the litany of your hardships, it’s not professional or ladylike. And sometimes that is appropriate, sometimes people do share far too much, far too fast, but you just can’t really know a person without knowing their worst moments and how they overcame them.
Which is probably why it continually amazes me that people marry each other after meeting a scant three months before, or something like that. Even if you stay up all night talking for those three months, you just have to see someone at Christmastime, mourning their family losses to know them, or whatever the case may be. I think so, anyway.
Yes, I agree with Paula Todd, and I remember discussing this same principle with Nancy and this other person I used to work with a few months back. I am a better person for all the crap. I have learned. And yes, I’m about to quote Kelly Clarkson, or whoever her team of writers may be: “Thanks to you, now I get what I want”. Go ahead, laugh now.
Still doesn’t mean I need for a bad thing to happen. If you can hear me up there, I’m still learning from the last disaster, so maybe give me awhile, ok?
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