The theme or rather question today is as follows: "What knowledge do you have that others don't? Write a "how to" post about anything you've got skills for, small or large."
Truly, I would rather write a post on Remembrance Day or on a tea festival that I attended last month or something else: I know I have a number of draft postings on a variety of subjects!
The questions I ask myself are, "Why am I resisting this (topic)? What is it about my knowledge and/or skills that make me resist answering this question? How am I feeling about this and why? What's the matter with me? Really?!"
This is going to sound really strange. Really weird. I'm not really sure what my knowledge base is! You see, I have dabbled in numerous subjects over the years, but I do not consider myself an expert in any of them.
Mor do I feel an expert at work – I’m still learning! – even though my supervisor and manager disagree. After all, I have been there for quite some time: 10 years in the department, Resources and Publications, working behind-the-scenes. And yes, of course I have knowledge and skills in my behind-the-scenes position! ;)
Generally speaking though, I consider myself more of a generalist rather than a specialist. I know a little bit about a wide variety of topics.
What is the question again? Am I purposely distracting myself? What am I avoiding? Hmmm... Do any of you feel this way? Is it because I desire a change and not quite sure where to go with the skills and knowledge I do have? Or what?
Yes, so many questions! Did you know I generally do ask a lot of questions? Perhaps not on my blog in general, except for this particular post! However, that is how my insatiable curiosity gets fulfilled!
Let me summarize briefly some of the areas I do have knowledge and experience in, in no particular order (as I’m not aware of one that I have that others don’t):
1. Medical Secretarial - I worked in two renowned organizations. And I’m an excellent speller: long words don’t scare me, I think! ;)
2. Office/Administrative - I worked in a variety of roles in public, private, and nonprofit organizations through different lines of work, plus a stint as a temp performing various on-call assignments
3. Children - I completed a year of study on children years ago and the course even included children's books/literature/poetry
4. Counselling - I studied a general counselling program with various related courses as I felt called to do. The course came in handy when volunteering for a local crisis centre and also on the phones working with the public as an Information and Referral Specialist.
5. Palliative Care - This was another program I was interested in and studied, though I didn’t work directly in the field. I did co/facilitate two bereavement groups.
7. Mental Health – I know people with AD(H)D, bipolar, etc. and have befriended and/or studied/worked/volunteered with them. I also undertook an ADHD program.
8. Spirituality – I became aware of universal truths during my spiritual awakening; see Another (20th) Anniversary: My Spiritual Awakening (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2012/12/well-i-did-it-again-i-cant-believe-it.html).
Skills/Qualities (in no particular order):
1. Typing – Though people would consider me an excellent typist and I know some short cuts, I do reverse two characters as in dyslexia at times. And I’m also an excellent speller.
2. Writing/Editing – I can write various documents from letters/emails/press releases to a blog and am ‘good’ at writing, especially creative writing, can you tell? – everything’s ‘relative’ though some people would say ‘great’ ;) I am also ‘good’ at editing, and I can even read upside down! ;)
4. Ideas – I have a lot of creative ideas though sometimes they are relegated to words (poems/songs etc.) and various inventions.
5. Organizing – Though I can have a messy desk at times, I have the ability to organize and do it well when I do! ;)
6. Facilitating groups - I created a program for a group of adults with a mental health disability and creative programs for children, and am able to facilitate having learned group dynamics and being in different groups over the years.
7. Memorizing of faces, voices, and numbers – These skills are ideal for a receptionist or front-office person. The latter may seem a strange skill unless you're an accountant (and that does not appeal to me at all); however, it comes in handy with phone numbers, files, cards, etc.
8. Healing energetically with my hands – My hands generally tingle and feel heat. I also get spontaneous thoughts/words/images at times during energy healings.
9. Intuition - Although I think this should be near the top or at the top of the list, it's not one that most people, especially employers recognize; however, intuition is an everyday occurrence in my life whether at my work, with my blog, or at home. It comes as claircognizance (also known as clear knowing, the highest form of intuition where you just know that you know) as well as clairsentience (clear feeling), and can occur in person and remotely (even online via email for example).
10. Understanding - I have the ability to see both sides of a coin being the middle child - see my blog post, Middle Child: You ARE Special! Today's Your Day! (http://www.xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2014/08/middle-child-you-are-special-todays.html)
11. Empathy – though at times I may appear to lack empathy, i.e., be neutral, I actually have a deep sense of feeling other peoples’ pain in particular (see #9).
Regarding posting on how I know these skills, I do not think I can tell you or teach you for that matter. How can I? Most of these are intangible anyway.
All in all I do know this: (1) I am to work in the service industry (2) working directly with people (3) requiring variety for stimulation and (4) learning for growth, otherwise I feel dead inside. But then I ask, doesn't this apply to most people? ;) What do YOU think?
Looking at my knowledge and skills, what would you say are some possible occupations/work options that I could consider? ;)
