Why am I blogging?

It's not like I don't have enough to do. I have a job, a wife, three small kids, and more books on my list than I know what to do with. So why would I spend time writing a blog? Because I think I have to.

When I took the StrengthsFinder assessment, two of my top five strengths came out input-related (Learning and Input), and two thinking-related (Analytical and Intellection). There is not a thing about output in there. Like most tests of this type, it doesn't describe me completely, but it does reveal some truth about how I work. I'm happy to listen and read and think, but doing anything beyond that holds little interest for me.

However, just like lakes without outlets lose freshness over time (Great Salt Lake, Dead Sea), constant mental input without output leads to stagnation.

So this blog is my output. Its purpose is not to add value to the world (though that would be a nice bonus), or provide readers with interesting content (though feedback is appreciated), but simply to improve my own thinking by forcing some output to balance the input.

I did have to overcome some reluctance to do this. I'm not comfortable putting my thoughts out in the world (remember the lack of output-related strengths?), but it now seems necessary. So far, so good. Now, will you join me? What do you need to do that's not comfortable? Get started, let me know, and good luck.

PS - For the two people wondering the fifth strength was: Responsibility.