Myself
I believe that bring a lot to the table. My top five strengths are: Developer, Belief, Relator, Includer, and Positivity. I am very much about building relationships, so my strengths really do reflect who I am and how I help to further better myself and the community. I also believe that participating in service only magnifies the strengths that I have. The skills that I bring to service go hand in hand with my strengths. Also, while doing the reading for this assignment, I found some information that resonated with me.
Being a developer means that I see potential in everybody. No matter the person’s background or current situation, I want to help them toward a better future. Seeing another person grow and being a positive force in that change is an amazing experience. Every improvement makes me feel great and I strive to make others feel that way too. I constantly want to challenge others so that when they succeed, it is because they achieved it, not me. Applying this to service means going into an event with an attitude of willingness to see a positive change and being a part of that change.
Having the strength of belief means that I have a strong set of principles that I live by and have a strong sense of purpose for my life. Having the sense that I am living for something gives my life direction. With that purpose and direction, I am able to have a consistent set of priorities that also form the basis of my relationships. For me, that means showing Jesus’s love to others and being a light to them. I want to live my life full of love and show that to everybody I meet. Relating belief to service means going into a service opportunity with an open mind and an open heart. I want to show others, that no matter where they are in life, Jesus loves you so much and so do I.
Being a relator means that I have a strong connection with people that I already know. While this strength could be viewed as introverted, I am still eager to meet to new people and enjoy making strangers into friends. However, I do prefer to be with people who I consider close friends. I may know a lot of people, and can relate to many of them, but I have a small group of friends who I share an incredible relationship with. Applying this strength to a service event means that I find doing work with my close friends really fun and enjoyable. It does not become just work, but a great bonding experience over something we all love.
Being an includer means that I want to include everybody and make them feel like part of the group. I want to make those who feel underappreciated or outsiders feel like they belong. I am accepting of anybody, regardless of sex, race, faith, etc. We are all important. Nobody should be ignored, but included. Relating this strength to service means that I can help bridge the gap between the people who are serving and the people who are being served. We sometimes think that those being served are not as fortunate as us, which can lead us to think that we are somehow above them. However, we are all the same and we all need help, but in different ways.
Having the positivity strength means that I am very upbeat and can get others excited about what is happening. You can usually always find a smile on my face and I always try to find the upside of a situation. I also try to help other be productive and hopeful. I am very good at lightening the spirits of those around me. Being optimistic, fun-loving, and hopeful are traits I hold close to me. There is so much power in positivity. Applying positivity to service means being positive while doing service. Do hard work, but have fun and appreciate every moment while participating in service. Encourage your team and celebrate every achievement.
While reading Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block, I started to connect with some of the passages that Block wrote about John McKnight’s insights on how to build a community. In order to build the best community possible, we must focus on the resident’s gifts, put problem solving power in their hands, and create support groups (Block 14). I believe that focusing on people’s gifts will not only build that person up and make them feel genuine, but that person will become a spark and start a chain reaction in the community by passing on that feeling to others until the community is as bright as the sun. Also, when citizens in a community become invested in a project or situation, they start to develop a sense that this is not just a community, but a home. They start to take pride in their community and focus on ways to better life in the community. Finally, creating support groups throughout the community, or “associational life” as McKnight calls it, develops a very real, and generous community. Instead of having people with disabilities in institutions, we have them in the neighborhoods where ordinary citizens come together to create these support groups. This can bring a transformation in every citizen’s life in the community (Block 14)
Citation
Block, Peter. "Insights into Transformation." Community: The Structure of Belonging. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2008. 12-14. Print.
Being a developer means that I see potential in everybody. No matter the person’s background or current situation, I want to help them toward a better future. Seeing another person grow and being a positive force in that change is an amazing experience. Every improvement makes me feel great and I strive to make others feel that way too. I constantly want to challenge others so that when they succeed, it is because they achieved it, not me. Applying this to service means going into an event with an attitude of willingness to see a positive change and being a part of that change.
Having the strength of belief means that I have a strong set of principles that I live by and have a strong sense of purpose for my life. Having the sense that I am living for something gives my life direction. With that purpose and direction, I am able to have a consistent set of priorities that also form the basis of my relationships. For me, that means showing Jesus’s love to others and being a light to them. I want to live my life full of love and show that to everybody I meet. Relating belief to service means going into a service opportunity with an open mind and an open heart. I want to show others, that no matter where they are in life, Jesus loves you so much and so do I.
Being a relator means that I have a strong connection with people that I already know. While this strength could be viewed as introverted, I am still eager to meet to new people and enjoy making strangers into friends. However, I do prefer to be with people who I consider close friends. I may know a lot of people, and can relate to many of them, but I have a small group of friends who I share an incredible relationship with. Applying this strength to a service event means that I find doing work with my close friends really fun and enjoyable. It does not become just work, but a great bonding experience over something we all love.
Being an includer means that I want to include everybody and make them feel like part of the group. I want to make those who feel underappreciated or outsiders feel like they belong. I am accepting of anybody, regardless of sex, race, faith, etc. We are all important. Nobody should be ignored, but included. Relating this strength to service means that I can help bridge the gap between the people who are serving and the people who are being served. We sometimes think that those being served are not as fortunate as us, which can lead us to think that we are somehow above them. However, we are all the same and we all need help, but in different ways.
Having the positivity strength means that I am very upbeat and can get others excited about what is happening. You can usually always find a smile on my face and I always try to find the upside of a situation. I also try to help other be productive and hopeful. I am very good at lightening the spirits of those around me. Being optimistic, fun-loving, and hopeful are traits I hold close to me. There is so much power in positivity. Applying positivity to service means being positive while doing service. Do hard work, but have fun and appreciate every moment while participating in service. Encourage your team and celebrate every achievement.
While reading Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block, I started to connect with some of the passages that Block wrote about John McKnight’s insights on how to build a community. In order to build the best community possible, we must focus on the resident’s gifts, put problem solving power in their hands, and create support groups (Block 14). I believe that focusing on people’s gifts will not only build that person up and make them feel genuine, but that person will become a spark and start a chain reaction in the community by passing on that feeling to others until the community is as bright as the sun. Also, when citizens in a community become invested in a project or situation, they start to develop a sense that this is not just a community, but a home. They start to take pride in their community and focus on ways to better life in the community. Finally, creating support groups throughout the community, or “associational life” as McKnight calls it, develops a very real, and generous community. Instead of having people with disabilities in institutions, we have them in the neighborhoods where ordinary citizens come together to create these support groups. This can bring a transformation in every citizen’s life in the community (Block 14)
Citation
Block, Peter. "Insights into Transformation." Community: The Structure of Belonging. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler, 2008. 12-14. Print.