I was presenting to a group of 7th graders about writing and World War II , which is what my novels are about. At one point, I asked someone to speak up with an example. Many of you may remember being in 7th grade. It’s that time when you sort of want to speak up, but you’re not going to if no one else raises their hand. So, when no hands went up, I said, “Okay, we’ve been talking about how brave the kids of World War II were and how they stepped up to help save this country. I need someone to be brave enough to raise their hand.” Three timid hands went up.
I’ve been reading a book called Sparked by Jonathan Fields which talks about different Sparktypes® and how those types help you feel energized in your work. My primary Sparktype® is “Advocate,” which surprised me a bit. Given the names of the types and my work as a writer/entrepreneur, I would have guessed Maker or Maven or even Performer might have been first. The book asked you, though, to think about how you show up not only at work but how you showed up as a kid, or as a parent, or in what you choose to do for fun, and sure enough the mark of an advocate was all over my profile.
People advocate in different ways, of course. I’ve done so by telling stories in my books and my blog, and also in the partnerships I’ve formed in the community and in the groups I’ve led. I make myself vulnerable enough…
