What Kind of Thinker Are You? (part 1 of 4)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 The result of trying to function in a role for which you aren’t mentally wired is going to be distress and dysfunction. Each one of us is born with a built in thinking wavelength, a way of organizing the world, tolerating change, and juggling variables. We must recognize that we may have a thinking wavelength that may or may not be the same as the person we married, our supervisor, those we manage, or others we regularly interact with. The thinking wavelength is directly related to the work you are going to do successfully. The continuum, is from left administrative/operational) to development/strategic), the categories are grinders, minders, keepers, finders, and theorists. Today we will explore the work of the “Grinders”… Grinders get the work done. They are detailed minded doers. The world cannot operate without grinders. They provide the basic labor force for the entire world and all it operations. A company is likely to be successful only in direct proportion to the productivity, quality, efficiency , and morale of its grinders. They are the ultimate concrete thinkers. Grinders have the following tendencies: document things, get the work done, are risk-adverse, like few variables, take one step at a time, have a low tolerance for ambiguity, understand tasks and the need to solve problems, handle administrative details well, and deliver working drawings. Positions usually best occupied by grinders include: corporate meeting planner, mechanic, administrative assistant, bookkeeper, and factory worker. Your thinking wavelength defines the type of roles that will make you most fulfilled, least stressed, and most successful. What is your thinking wavelength? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Combining Your Driver & Your Comfort Zone (summary)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 If you have been following these blogs over the last couple weeks, you now know there are nine combinations of drivers and comfort zones. A driving force and a comfort zone are linked within you. They do not exist independently. Today we will summarize the nine combinations. Power - People: The person driven by power but with a comfort zone of people is going to be very concerned about how to marshal the masses. Such a person may very well gravitate toward politics. Power – Ideas: The person driven by power but with an affinity for ideas is going to want to make sure that the ideas are widely circulated and that they have maximum impact on the culture or group. Such a person may find an outlet in publishing(?), consulting/coaching/counseling, or the academic world. Power – Things: The person who is driven by power but has a heart for things is going to seek to use machinery in the exercise of power. Such a person may be drawn to the military, or to the use of heavy machinery, or to the use of computers or broadcast technology to wield power. Image – People: The image driven person with a heart for people is going to be very gifted in organizing large events for maximum circumstance. A royal wedding or a state funeral or a state dinner will be their desired challenge. Image – Ideas: The image driven person with an affinity for ideas may be a fashion designer of an innovator of new packaging for an established product. Image – Things: The image driven person with a comfort zone for things is likely to be an excellent landscape architect or window dresser. Contribution – People: The contribution driven person with a heart for people is likely to be drawn to group activities and efforts, perhaps working on medical teams rather than in solo clinical settings, or perhaps teaching groups of people (children) or organizing the masses into demonstrations and rallies. Contribution – Ideas: The contribution driven person that has a comfort zone of ideas is going to write the editorials that incite the masses to take on an important social concern. Contribution – Things: The contribution person with an affinity for things is going to man the soup kitchen or volunteer to build the Habitat for Humanity house. In the corporate world, that person is likely to be an administrative assistant; in the church world that person is likely to be a trustee or the church secretary. These nine combinations are randomly distributed among family members and organizational members. Each can be a significant force for good. Which are you? Your driver/comfort zone defines who you are and how you interact with your world around you. What is your comfort zone and how is it affecting your life? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Reflecting on Your Comfort Zone (part 4 of 4)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 Today and tomorrow we will summarize drivers and comfort zones. Most people find it fairly easy to locate their comfort zone. If you are unsure, ask yourself what your perfect Saturday would look like. As in the case of drivers, no one heart focus is right or more noble than the others. All have usefulness in building God’s kingdom. Those with a people comfort zone always make others feel welcome in the group. Those with an affinity for ideas have breakthrough insights into the Scriptures. Those with a comfort zone involving things can help set up for programs and keep the physical operations of the church in order. Review the last couple week’s blogs on these topics and take time to reflect on your driver-comfort zone identity. Ask yourself the following questions: In what ways are you likely to express yourself? In what fields are you going to be the most comfortable? What settings are you likely to arrange for yourself (including home and office)? How are you likely to interact with other people? For what are you most likely to spend money? In what roles are you going to find the greatest fulfillment and satisfaction (ask yourself this for each of your life domains)? Understanding the driver/comfort zone construct of those close to you will help you to understand their behaviors (e.g., you enjoy going to a party to socialize, but you still always find your spouse in the library of the party home reading a book!). It will also help you understand your own behaviors and why people react to you in certain ways. Learn to embrace who you are and leverage your driver – comfort zone combination. Your driver/comfort zone defines who you are and how you interact with your world around you. What is your comfort zone and how is it affecting your life? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Your Comfort Zone (part 3 of 4)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 We all have met people who are more comfortable tinkering with things in the kitchen than mingling with guests in the living room. We all know people who can get very excited about ideas and books, but who seem to have few social skills and even fewer abilities to deal with tools and gadgets. Some people care very little about people or ideas but are quite at home experimenting in their labs, sketching at a drawing table, or concocting new creations at the kitchen stove. This affinity is called the comfort zone. In what setting do you feel the greatest sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and ease. The 3 primary comfort zones are people, ideas, and things. Today we will explore the world of people whose comfort zone is “things”. The person who has a comfort zone of things is likely to feel emotionally at home tinkering in the workshop, sitting at the sewing machine, or working on the family car. A person with an affinity for things is often restless or uncomfortable unless he is doing something, generally involving the sense of touch or the use of hands. Such a person loves the feel of metal, wood, fabric, soil, or objects. S/he finds satisfaction in seeing something take shape, produce a physical or materials result, or be fixed and put into good working order. Those with the affinity for things enjoy being with other people only if the group is actively engaged in a task that has a strong tangible component, such as building a house. Ideas are only important to this type of person if they are directly related to something that is practical or tangible. “Things” also include animals; those with this affinity enjoy grooming, riding, working with, and handling animals. “Things” can also include plants. Individuals with this comfort zone often work as product designers, craftsmen, construction workers, engineers, tailors, chefs, or model builders. They also make excellent landscape architects, farmers, naturalists, florists, and veterinarians. Your comfort zone defines who you are and how you interact with your world around you. What is your comfort zone and how is it affecting your life? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Knowing Your Unique Purpose

We are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 I was recently at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. It is an incredible place. They give you a map to find your room - and believe me, you need it! It’s several buildings actually, surrounding massive indoor gardens with small streams and waterfalls. The place is so big that the glass ceiling in the atrium is the size of six football fields. The hotel's exotic plant collection, which takes 20 full-time gardeners to maintain, includes an Asian banana tree . . . right in the heart of Tennessee! This unusual tree grows only one crop of bananas its entire life. Then the team of gardeners cuts it down and plants another. How interesting that God in His wisdom would create a tree designed to serve just one short-term purpose. Unlike trees that bear fruit annually, the Asian banana tree has a unique calling. Your family also has a unique calling. You have been set apart by God to fulfill your own purpose. There are certain values and priorities that define who you are - certain goals you've been created to achieve. These guide the way you spend your time, money and energy. Can you articulate God's purpose for your marriage and family? One of His purposes for Martha and I has been to equip marriages and families with God's blueprints. In addition, we have found that some of His purposes change as we move through the different seasons of a family. Clearly, one of our purposes is to train our children to know God and to equip them to obey Him in life. God does have a unique purpose for each of you as individuals and for the two of you as a couple. Do you know your purposes? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Your Comfort Zone (part 2 of 4)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 We all have met people who are more comfortable tinkering with things in the kitchen than mingling with guests in the living room. We all know people who can get very excited about ideas and books, but who seem to have few social skills and even fewer abilities to deal with tools and gadgets. Some people care very little about people or ideas but are quite at home experimenting in their labs, sketching at a drawing table, or concocting new creations at the kitchen stove. This affinity is called the comfort zone. In what setting do you feel the greatest sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and ease. The 3 primary comfort zones are people, ideas, and things. Today we will explore the world of people whose comfort zone is in the world of ideas. They love strategy and enjoy making paradigms and sketches. They are often very creative, expressing their ideas in the forms of music, painting, drawing, sculpting, choreographing, or writing. They include the theorists of the world – especially drawn to formulas and patterns and the ideas that prompt scientific experimentation. In a group setting, they often appear to be daydreaming, out of touch, or to have poor social and communication skills. The fact is, their minds really are elsewhere. They are content in their inner world of thought and imagination. They see a world that is possible but perhaps not presently in existence. All of their ideas need not be original. Some people who are most comfortable in the world of ideas are those who are able to polish, edit, or build upon the ideas of others. They give form and substance to the ideas of the pure theorists through strategies, plans, sequences, of procedures. Individuals with an affinity for ideas often are writers, artists, scholars, inventors, strategists, or those who are involved in corporate development. Your comfort zone defines who you are and how you interact with your world around you. What is your comfort zone and how is it affecting your life? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

Your Comfort Zone (part 1 of 3)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 We all have met people who are more comfortable tinkering with things in the kitchen than mingling with guests in the living room. We all know people who can get very excited about ideas and books, but who seem to have few social skills and even fewer abilities to deal with tools and gadgets. Some people care very little about people or ideas but are quite at home experimenting in their labs, sketching at a drawing table, or concocting new creations at the kitchen stove. This affinity is called the comfort zone. In what setting do you feel the greatest sense of pleasure, satisfaction, and ease. The 3 primary comfort zones are people, ideas, and things. Today we will explore the nature of people whose comfort zone is people. The person who has a comfort zone with people feels that relationships are far more important than either things or ideas. Such individuals tend to have strong emotions that they are keen to express; they rarely allow logic to override their emotions. Bonding with others is vital to them. The person with a comfort zone for people loves to be with people and seemingly can’t get enough of people. Such a person tends to be a very good conversationalist, although shy and retiring people-affinity persons are content to sit quietly as long as they are in a room filled with people. Those who are most comfortable with people take time to listen, are genuinely concerned for the pains and hurts experienced by others, and have an ability to rejoice with the joyous. They enjoy parties and social gatherings and are quick to show hospitality. Those with a heart for people crave association and are very uncomfortable being alone. They are often troubled by a lack of people skills in others and may be very critical of a spouse, child, associate or peer who doesn’t seem to communicate with others or who doesn’t seem to have the same desire to relate. Individuals with this comfort zone make excellent managers, counselors, and pastors. Your comfort zone defines who you are and how you interact with your world around you. What is your comfort zone and how is it affecting your life? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

What Drives You? (part 4 of 4)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 The 3 types of drivers are: Power, Image, & Contribution. Due to a need to understand their incredible importance, today we will summarize and compare the 3 types of drivers. People driven by power wear easily the mantle of leadership. They can be controlling and manipulative in their exercise of power, but they need not be. Those driven by power include those who seek to empower others. In some cases they are the power behind the throne – people who do not seek the limelight or the title, but who do seek to influence the choice about what is done, when, how, and with whom. In a positive light, people driven by power desire change and see themselves as change agents. They are not satisfied with the status quo in their own lives, neither are they satisfied with the status quo around them. The degree to which they love, influences heavily the use of power in their lives – they can be tyrants and dictators, or benevolent leaders who bring help and growth to others. To some people, driven by image, what counts the most is the way things are done, especially the appearance associated with the way things are done. People driven by image are good presenters of a message, although they may not have been the originators of the message. They enjoy packaging people ideas, and things. They turn their creative abilities toward the visual and the readily apparent. People driven by image are generally very conscious of protocol, manners, appearance, and social acceptability. They often want everybody to be happy or everybody to be positive about the things, people, or ideas they present. They desire to please. People driven by a desire to serve or to make a contribution do not want to be in charge. They may have very little concern about how something looks or is perceived by others. They are driven instead by a desire to see goals reached and people helped. Those who are driven by a goal of making a contribution may have a rumpled appearance because their focus is not on themselves, but on others. They often deserve a hero’s badge, but if are given one, they would quickly pin it on someone else. Their heartfelt goal is to help others succeed. Final thoughts on drivers: Some people think they are driven by more than one thing, but that is rarely the case. Choose one. Your turning points profile and your talent search will confirm your choice. Pride is not the property of any one driver. The power-driven person who is loving in his execution of power and who uses power to bring about good on this earth is a wonderful person to know, to follow, and to seek out as an employer. The image-driven person who is loving to others and who seeks to do all things in a way that is beautiful, pleasing, and positive is a person who makes life more lovely and enjoyable. The contribution-driven person who works in love and humility is a person who displays servanthood that is compelling and life-changing. You must be aware that others are driven by forces that do not drive you. Their driving force is valid and natural for them, and if used in a loving, helpful, and positive way, their driving force is just as effective as your driving force. Are you driven by power, image, or contribution? What is the most important decision you can make right now related to the proper use of your foremost driver? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

What Drives You? (part 3 of 4)

Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. Psalms 143:8 To know what drives you, ask yourself: What excites me? What do I seek and desire? What do I do exceedingly well? What gives me energy? The answers to these questions reveal a great deal about the way the Creator has shaped you. There are over 200 different types of drivers – things that motivate us, cause us to perform well, and fill us with energy as we do them. But at the simplest level, all these drivers fall into one of three categories. The 3 types of drivers are: Power, Image, & Contribution. Today we will continue our exploration of what drive people by looking at the nature of people who are driven by Contribution. People driven by a desire to serve or to make a contribution do not want to be in charge. They may have very little concern about how something looks or is perceived by others. They are driven instead by a desire to see goals reached and people helped. Those who are driven by a goal of making a contribution may have a rumpled appearance because their focus is not on themselves, but on others. They often deserve a hero’s badge, but if are given one, they would quickly pin it on someone else. Their heartfelt goal is to help others succeed. Examples include servant leaders such as Mother Theresa, social workers, and missionary nurses. To determine if you have contribution as the foremost driver in your life, ask yourself the following questions: Do I shun the spotlight? Am I uncomfortable being singled out, recognized, or made a fuss over? Do I care most of all that something good is accomplished, regardless of who does it or how it is accomplished? Do I find myself moving almost automatically to help others who seem to be struggling or in need? Do I find myself annoyed with what I perceive to be the materialism of fashion-consciousness of others when more important things are to be done? Do I prefer to be in frontline active service rather than in a decision-making role? Do I care more about getting the job done than about whether an awards ceremony or recognition dinner is planned after the job is finished? If you have answered yes to more than one of these questions, you are probably driven by contribution. It’s OK to contribution be your foremost driver. Those who are driven by contribution are often unheard and unseen, working behind the scenes to get the job done. They can make a valuable contribution to any group. Conversely, avoid the trap of pride in thinking that because you are driven by a desire to contribute, you have special access to the high moral road. Don’t think ill of those who are in power, since they may very well be the ones who provide the venue for the contribution you desire to make. Also avoid the tendency to disregard those who are image driven, thinking that they could get more real work done if they cared less about appearance. Are you driven by power, image, or contribution? What is the most important decision you can make right now related to the proper use of your foremost driver? Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com

A Tribute to Women

A tribute to women from Proverbs 31….. A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long. She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing. She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises. She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day. She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden. First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day. She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking. She’s quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor. She doesn’t worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear. She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks. Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers. She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops. Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile. When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly. She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive. Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: “Many women have done wonderful things, but you’ve outclassed them all!” Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades, but the woman who respects God is to be admired and praised. Give her everything she deserves! Adorn her life with praises! Praise God for women. She is created in the image of God. She is a child of God and equal to man in every way. Truth@Life can help you, regardless of your location. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a free consultation. If you receive value from these blogs, please consider donating to keep this blog site up and running. This ministry cannot continue without the generous donations of its readers. Just click on the "Donate" button in the upper right. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/ or email me directly at curtis.songer@gmail.com