I Had My Identi3 Profile Analysed and Got Some Interesting Insights!

If you’ve read my book - The Introvert Teacher - you’ll know that I’m intensely curious about human behaviours and psychology. Actually, come to think of it, if you’ve had a long enough conversation with me, you’ll find that out too.

I’ve done a number of psychometric tests and my results have been fairly constant.

They tell a consistent narrative of what I understand about myself.

So, when I heard about the Identi3 profiling tool, I was curious, though I did wonder if I would learn anything new about myself.

But, for science, I decided to do it. With the help of a certified profiler, of course.

It consisted of an test taken through their website, and a meetup to explain the results.

It turns out that, apart from being an Investigator, someone who enjoys challenging ideas and concepts, I am also an Expositor, someone who is good at expressing myself - in my case, through verbal and written means, and an Artist, someone who enjoys artistic expression and creative freedom.

So, in a nutshell, I live mainly in my head, come up with unusual, out-of-the-box ideas that I easily explain to others in ways that they can understand.

Sounds about right.

In fact, it sounds like what a consultant does.

Perhaps that is the line of work I should be pursuing.

I’ve recently been re-evaluating my plans for becoming a speaker. Though I feel that my message is one that others will benefit from hearing, I wonder if it’s truly as important as I think it is - important enough, that is, to make a career out of talking about it.

I’m not entirely convinced that it is, though I have constantly received feedback that it is an interesting and thought-provoking subject.

And yet, interesting and thought-provoking are not strong enough traits for me to base everything on. Above that, I need to know that it is important to do.

So, this is the clarity that I seek.

With it, I can make a better decision.

In the meantime, as I seek it, I will continue to do work that I know is important.

I Started My Training Journey in the Life Sciences. I Intend to Continue the Journey.

In the numerous networking events I've attended, after telling others what I do now, many of them have asked how I started as a trainer.

I tell them that I started by training in the topic I studied - Biotechnology - in the Secondary School I graduated from - Chung Cheng High School (Main) [CCHMS].

And I'm still teaching it in different schools across Singapore for two simple reasons: I love the subject and I love what I do - inspiring minds (especially young ones) through a complicated-sounding topic introduced in an easy-to-digest way.

Yes, doing public workshops, conducting corporate training, and having speaking engagements are all fantastic and well-paying.

That said, I want to stay rooted to my beginnings, especially considering how 'perfect' the combination was. As long as there is a demand for education in the life sciences, I want to be a part of it.

I Had An Epiphany. But It Was So Counter-Culture, I Initially Kept It To Myself.

Some months ago, after some conversations I had, I had an epiphany.

It could explain, at least in part, some of the nagging doubts I’ve been having throughout this year.

This is what I realised about myself, and I wrote it down in these words:

I DON'T want to touch as many lives as possible.

Before you frown any deeper, there is a second part:

I want to deeply impact a very few.

For so many years, I keep hearing advice about increasing my reach so I can impact as many lives as possible.

For example, I hear of music stars who record a single song and, because it reaches so many of their fans so quickly through so many channels, they earn a tidy income from the exposure. Their fans convert the people around them into more fans, advertisers can’t wait to sign them up for endorsement deals, and they get invited to exclusive events and perform on ever-larger stages.

It’s all about gaining leverage and using it to get yourself out of exchanging time for money. In the music star’s case, the recording of the song required spending time once. After that, it constantly ‘works for’ the star.

It sounded logical. And it was.

And I kept hearing this, especially from well-meaning fellow educators and trainers, especially those I knew from networking events and meetups.

Yet, there was always something about it that didn’t sit quite right with me. I didn’t know what it was, until recently.

It was the ‘volume’ of people that I was being told I had to reach that was bothering me. But why? What could have brought this on?

As I dug a little deeper, I was reminded of the times when I just started being a trainer and got affected by less-than-stellar feedback. Though these incidents didn’t happen often, every time they did, I felt bad.

Eventually, I learned to remove my focus on the negative feedback because they were the tiny minority. Most of my feedback was good. Some were great!

Why should I have to feel low if I had already tried multiple times to engage the student who ended up deciding that he/she didn’t want to be there in the first place and was adamant about keeping a bad attitude about it?

Wouldn’t it make more sense to focus on those who were eager to learn and apply themselves?

And these were the memories that made me realise that I had known all along that what I wanted to do was to focus - very sharply - on the very few upon whom I know I can have the greatest impact because we were compatible and we found each other at the right place at the right time. Sounds almost like a love story, doesn’t it?

I was then reminded of three students that I taught. Two of them went on to pursue education paths in the subject matter that I taught them, one locally and one overseas. In recent conversation, they expressed their gratitude for my being part of their decisions to learn more.

Another one became my colleague - a fellow trainer - teaching the same types of courses that I do even today.

Out of the thousands of students I’ve had, of whom I still keep in touch with a few, these were three that pointedly remind me about why I do what I do.

This is what I want to keep doing - to find the very few for whom I can deliver the deepest impact and help them effect the greatest change.

Doubtlessly, it will entail a certain amount of ‘outreach’, but this recent realisation has sharpened my focus and it will feature strongly in my goals for the upcoming year.

Thank You For Being Part of My 2017

As 2017 draws to a close, I would like to thank all the incredible people I've met this past year.

Whether it was at a Trainers' Synergy gathering, a SG100 meet-up, an APTS meeting, an Introverts' Network get-together, or the numerous workshops, conferences and events I attended or participated in this year, I was glad to meet you.

Thank you for sharing your experience and for being so generous with your time.

Some of you I met during mission trips, church events (especially our recently concluded stage production - Close Quarters) and church services.

Thank you for demonstrating the love and grace of our Lord, for doing what you do in God's service, and for being a part of the body of Christ. 

I would like to specially thank you who were at my wedding, my speaking engagements, as well as my book launch. 

Thank you for being there to show your support, love and care.

To you whom I have known for years, thank you for your friendship. We may not have been able to meet as often as we'd like, but know that you hold a place in my heart.

As we dive into 2018, I wish you clear direction, excellent opportunities and endless delights.

Thank you for being part of my 2017. I look forward to journeying with you in 2018.