Three Peak Experiences Exercise

Have you ever had that moment when you were “in the zone”? Were you ever so immersed in what you were doing that time flew by and even if it was technically “work”, it didn’t feel like work?  Or, perhaps you’ve had a time when you have felt really, really proud of what you’ve accomplished?

These experiences don’t have to be “professional” or from a formal job, but rather an experience in which you did something you enjoyed and have felt proud of at the end of the day.

The Exercise

We would like you to write about three or more experiences. Analyze what skills you used in executing that experience.  What interested you about it? Of those skills or interests, what would you like to take with you into your future work?

Note: there is no age-limit to this story. It could be from 10 years ago, or 10 hours ago.  The point is to understand what engages you. 

Here is an example:

Non-work story:

Sue has a daughter who is turning five, and she’s planning her 5th birthday party. She decided to plan an at-home party when all her peers had parties at outside venues. They were on a really tight budget at the time but moved forward with planning a knock-out “Princess Party” that included a playhouse converted to a castle, a castle building activity for the boys, an obstacle course, and more.  It was in the days when families had to invite the whole preschool class, so 17 kids joined in the fun. She received several phone calls from parents telling her the kids reported it was their best party ever.  All of this for a total cost of $75, including goodie bags for 17 kiddies.

So, why was this important to me and what does it tell me about my skills and interests? 

1. She really was able to stretch her creative skills in creating this party
2. It emphasized to her that she have great organizational skills
3. It reminded her that yes, she could create and stick to a budget, which wasn’t a preference but she felt proud to have done it.

Professional Story:

Sue was an early adopter of LinkedIn. In 2009, she created a presentation on using LinkedIn and presented it to her state career development association (a group of career counseling peers, many of whom were techno-phobic digital dinosaurs). About 40 people attended and were highly engaged while she conducted a live demo to demonstrate the power of LinkedIn.  Sue was able to stick to her prepared presentation while deftly answering questions and demoing features. As a result, she was asked to speak to retiring Foreign Service Officers at the Department of State. She was really proud and energized after the event, for which she received positive evaluations.

What does this say about my skills and interests?
1. It reminded her that she was very comfortable with the use of technology-based tools and was able to effectively demonstrate those tools to others.
2. It reinforced her confidence in the public speaking realm.
3. It reminded her that she was adept at identifying new trends and technologies and adapting them to her work settings.