focus on your strengths

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Focus on Your Strengths! LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE SCHOOL OF ANIMALS

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Page 1: Focus on Your Strengths

Focus on Your Strengths!LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN FROM THE SCHOOL OF ANIMALS

Page 2: Focus on Your Strengths

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The Parable of the School of Animals

Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of the “new world,” so they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing,

swimming, and flying; and to make it easier to administer,

all the animals took all the same subjects.

Page 3: Focus on Your Strengths

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The Duck

The duck was excellent in swimming, better in fact than the instructor. It made passing grades in flying, but it was very poor in running. Since it was slow in

running, it had to stay after school and drop swimming to practice running. This was kept up until

its webbed feet were badly worn and it was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in

school, so nobody worried about that except the duck.

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The Rabbit

The rabbit started at the top of its class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much make-up work in swimming. The squirrel was excellent in climbing until it

developed frustration in the flying class where the teacher made it start from the ground up instead of from the treetop

down. It also developed severe muscle cramps from overexertion and then got an average score in climbing and

below average in running.

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The Eagle

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class, it beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted on using its own way to get there.

Photo courtesy of JanieArt.com

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The Eel

At the end of the year, the abnormal little eel that could swim exceedingly well and also run, climb, and fly a little, had the highest average

and was top of the class.

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Focus on Your Strengths

The lesson from the school of animals is simple in theory, yet hard in practice.

 Focus on your strengths.  It’s hard because it runs counter to everything we’ve been taught our entire lives, which is to

overcome our weaknesses.  What the animals learned was that by trying to develop skills that are not strong competencies to begin with, we tend to dilute our abilities.  You are much better off in

the long run to focus on increasing your strengths significantly.  Think about it.  The best golfers in the world don’t shoot free throws after a round of golf.  They hit more golf balls.  The same thing

applies to getting better at your job.