There are many models for finding your strengths. One approach is to identify the activities where you sometimes combine the qualities of being both a warrior and a wizard.
Warriors love to work hard. They are positive, responsible and resilient. Disciplined by nature, they always deliver high professional standards.
Wizards also work hard, but they add that touch of magic. They have the talent, wisdom and imagination to make creative breakthroughs. Such people have the ability to deliver peak performances.
Different people combine these qualities in different activities. They may demonstrate them when playing a sport, fixing technical problems, coaching, performing on stage, leading certain projects or whatever. Such people always do the basics and sometimes add the brilliance.
Looking at your work, what are the specific activities where you may have the ability to combine these qualities? When have you demonstrated these abilities, even if just for a few moments?
You may have worked really hard at an activity, for example, and then made a creative breakthrough. You did work that was both deeply satisfying and successful.
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.
Describe a specific activity where you may have the ability to be both a warrior and a wizard.
Describe the specific examples of work you have done that show you may have the ability to combine these qualities.
How can you tell if you are a warrior in a certain activity? You will love both the planning and the work. You will also have elements of OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Discipline rather than Disorder. You will follow a certain rhythm and consistently deliver As, rather than Bs or Cs.
How can you tell if you have the ability to be a wizard in this activity? You will feel in your element – at ease and yet able to excel. You will see patterns quickly. You will make creative breakthroughs and sometimes reach the goal by adding that touch of class.
Kelly Marks shows these qualities when educating people how to work with horses. During the 1990s I saw her assisting her mentor Monty Roberts.
At the time I was working with a leadership team that wanted to explore new ways of learning. Bearing this in mind, I asked Kelly to run a practical day for the team.
Kelly proved to be a brilliant teacher. She taught people how to be fully present and communicate properly with the horses. The day was fun, but it also provided other lessons.
The leaders learned from watching Kelly. She put each person at ease before they went into the ring to get a free running horse to follow them.
She taught them how to communicate clearly and, within a few minutes, get the horse to nuzzle up to their shoulder and follow them. Watching each person in action, her style was:
To give the person specific encouragement when they did something right.
To give the person positive suggestions when confronted by challenges.
To keep supporting the person until they got the horse to willingly follow them.
Kelly has worked with horses for much of her life. She loves the whole process of caring for them – the feeding, mucking out and looking after their health. She also has strategic intuition in this activity.
She has the ability to see to the heart of the matter, try multiple strategies and then do what is required to achieve the picture of success. You can discover more about her work via the following link.
http://www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk/index.html
As mentioned earlier, different people have different activities in which they show the characteristics of being both warriors and wizards. They may show these when cooking, gardening, drawing, filming, solving conflicts, counselling or whatever.
Let’s return to the work where you may demonstrate these qualities. How can you keep doing this activity? How can you build on this strength? What will be the benefits – both for you and for other people?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to do the following things.
Describe the specific kind of work where you may be able to be both a warrior and a wizard.
Describe the specific things you can do to perform this work in the future.
Describe the specific benefits – both for you and other people – of doing this work.
Leave a Reply