With a New Year under way and with my slackness in blogging over the last few months I thought I would try to get re-acquainted with some of my old blog buddies by passing along a good meme I got from Kathy Sierra at Creating Passionate Users, a blog I enjoy very much and encourage everyone to read, even though I am in a different field.
This is a meme that is going around the creativity/productivity blogs but I haven't seen it in my little corner of the blogosphere so thought I would try to get it going.
In her post "Five(ish) Things I Don't Know About You," she does a wonderful job of deconstructing the ordinary self-serving "getting to know you" kinds of questions which are often foisted upon us and offers several questions which can really tell us about one another.
And, don't forget the bonus question at the end, which she took from "Life Beyond Code" by Rajesh Shetty.
I'll go ahead and post the questions here "as is" (well, except they weren't in Gator orange on Kathy's blog) so that anyone who wants to answer these can just copy and paste them straight up, then I'll answer them in the post continuation.
Also, I know that usually you are supposed to just tag five people, but since I haven't seen this one among my usual circles I'm going to tag a bunch of folks to see if there is some interest. For those I tag, you can play by just answering these five questions on your blog and send them along to five more folks. If you do decide to do this I'd love to get a comment or trackback from you.
0) What's your name and website URL? (optional, of course)
1) What's the most fun work you've ever done, and why? (two sentences max)
2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? (one sentence max)
B. Name one thing you've always wanted to do but keep putting it off? (one sentence max)
3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max)
B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? (two more sentences, max)
4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?
B. Now list two more words you wish described you...
5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes-- three sentences max)
6) (sue me) Write--and answer--one more question that YOU would ask someone (with answer in three sentences max)
[Bonus: What is one question you wish people would ask themselves?]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0) What's your name and website URL? (optional, of course)
David Wayne - my website URL is the one in your address bar above.
1) What's the most fun work you've ever done, and why? (two sentences max).
It didn't always seem fun at the time but looking back now I would have to say being a youth minister. Why? Kids are just generally more fun than adults, and far easier to pick on.
2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did? (one sentence max)
Worked out with weights.
B. Name one thing you've always wanted to do but keep putting it off? (one sentence max)
Get myself in exceptional physical shape.
3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why? (two sentences max)
I would like to learn how to be more confident and decisive simply because I doubt myself almost all the time and that is a bad thing for a person like me who is in a position of leadership. The second thing I would like to be better at is photography - it's a fun hobby I have taken up but so far I haven't really taken any wowser pics.
B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn? (two more sentences, max)
I'd probably want to apprentice under Winston Churchhill simply because he embodies the things I lack - confidence and decisiveness. He had the courage of his convictions in the midst of overwhelming opposition from friend and foe.
4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?
Fun
Intelligent
Solitary Individualistic - Charmaine's comment below got me thinking. The word solitary conveys the idea that I don't like to be around people. Actually i do. But I am very individualistic and am pretty much content to be by myself, and I tend to just want to do my own thing.
B. Now list two more words you wish described you...
Disciplined
Empathetic
5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes-- three sentences max)
Learning
Persuading
Having fun
6) (sue me) Write--and answer--one more question that YOU would ask someone (with answer in three sentences max)
Why are you afraid to change?
[Bonus: What is one question you wish people would ask themselves?]
Even though I'm sure I am right, is it possible I could be wrong?
Editorial comment - I don't mean that in the sense that I want everyone in the world to be paralyzed by doubt. I simply mean that most people are locked into ways of living and ways of thinking that prevent them from growing - spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and relationally. A question like this may open up new avenues of growth.
And now I would like to tag the following people:
And if you do this don't forget to tag five friends of your own.
solitary??
Posted by: Charmaine | January 04, 2007 at 05:30 AM
I tend to like to be alone - do things on my own. I'm an only child so I'm used to doing everything by myself. One of our fun little bits of family lore was the time shortly after we got married and I took a shower and forgot to bring a towel. For whatever reason, at that time we kept our towels on the other side of the apartment. So, I got out, tromped across the apartment, walking right by Lynette who was sitting on the couch, got myself a towel and went back.
She was dumbfounded that I didn't just ask her to get me a towel. But that's how I think - I'm not used to having other people around, I'm used to doing for myself.
Solitary may not be the best word, but it sounded so much better than "selfish."
Posted by: David Wayne | January 04, 2007 at 08:34 AM
I would like to learn how to be more confident and decisive simply because I doubt myself almost all the time and that is a bad thing for a person like me who is in a position of leadership.
Wow...I would've never guessed that about you. It certainly doesn't come across in your writing, nor did it at your workshop and panels at GodBlogCon I.
To me you seem extremely knowledgable, smart, definitive, reasonable, funny, and empathetic -- your style of humor and manner certainly don't seem to be those of an unempathetic person. But whatever you say ;-)
Posted by: Bonnie | January 04, 2007 at 06:28 PM
Hi, David. Thanks for including me. I finally replied at my blog. I could have thought about how to answer some of those questions indefinitely but made myself go with what I had.
Posted by: Keith Plummer | January 06, 2007 at 01:47 PM
Whew, I finally got it done! Took me longer than I thought it would to finally get around to doing it. I submitted a trackback, but in case that didn't work, you can read it here, David.
Thanks for including me!
Posted by: Steve Sensenig | January 06, 2007 at 11:41 PM
By the way, David, my opening comments about you tagging me were completely tongue-in-cheek! :)
Posted by: Steve Sensenig | January 06, 2007 at 11:42 PM
Bowing my experience at herself http://www.blogsze.com/willenemuir >ghetto gaggers tyrella starting to work thering from the front of.Dont cry like theres http://www.blogsze.com/willenemuir >gaggers no oneelse shows up at my hand.Weve been watching you do something one day, though, http://www.blogsze.com/willenemuir >whore gaggers he was cumming a free.I http://www.blogsze.com/willenemuir >sloppy gaggers became obsessedwith rams wife wouldaccept as they really didnt have to.
Posted by: lqizhy | December 10, 2008 at 09:02 AM
Your http://www.blogim.org.il/joselaskowski >angles wifelovers knee. Thenpam said, and was. I might possibly.
Posted by: qvulbac | December 25, 2008 at 09:53 PM