Hi!……and Welcome to Scanner Brain!
My name is Dennis Adams.
If you listened to the song (above), you’ll have an idea what a scanner is. The term scanner, coined by Barbara Sher in 1994, in her book, “I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was”, is defined in her book in great detail. She also lists various types of scanners. I believe I am a scanner and if your interest is piqued by this, her book is a must-read.
My name is Dennis Adams. I’m a scanner and a baby boomer trying to figure out what I’m “supposed to be” doing in life, by slowly reviving parts of me that I undervalued or pushed aside, as I galloped through life training to be someone else.
For most of my adult life I was a Korean translator and I lived and worked and played in Korea for 12 of those years.
Larry Mann (left) and I flank Hwang In-yong during the taping of a radio show where we sang “My Leaving” , a song written by Larry’s brother, Michael.
Springtime in Korea-I’m wearing an A-frame loaded with rice seedlings to be planted in the rice fields. I’m a Big Help when I’m not accidentally stepping on the seedlings those hard-working farmers just planted.
UN/CFC HQ building in Seoul, Korea where I worked as a translator for several years. I loved every minute of it!
I modeled for this Shilla Hotel ad in Korea.
Party at my house with Kim Tae-Gon in attendance. He is a popular Korean singer and my friend.
As I happily immersed myself in the language, customs, food, music, and culture of Korea, I still wondered what my one path in life was supposed to be. The answer was always elusive to me. I would think to myself I’ll do this (Korean Translation) a little while longer until I figure out what I’m really supposed to be doing.
All during those years, where my main focus was on learning the language, other interests of mine would emerge randomly.
I enjoyed music, food, baking, singing, playing guitar (in trees, apparently), writing songs, (Check them out! They are scattered throughout my posts.), travel, adventure, playing basketball outside,
This animal is not native to Texas. It migrated from the North.
free-lance translation when I wasn’t working my regular translation job, singing Korean songs on National TV and Radio Stations, creating harmonies for my songs, designing and building furniture, photography, driving, exercising, tennis, softball, and teaching English.
I’ve always had many interests but I undervalued them as just some things I liked to do once in a while. I always felt I was pretty good at a few things but never really great at anything. I also downplayed my talents and gifts instead of simply embracing them, developing them and sharing them with others.
Sometimes I would share, but overall I kind of kept them to myself. At the time, I didn’t have the awareness that those were gifts I was born with, which should be enjoyed and developed further by me. I just did them.
So I’m no longer taking those things for granted. I’m really paying attention to what interests me and inspires me. Those are the clues that tell me what my specific gifts are. Then I can use those gifts to create a purposeful, self-directed and meaningful life and discover the best way to help and enrich the lives of others as well.
That’s the journey I’m on now. As I become more clear about who I am and who I am not, and what I want my life to be, I realize I need to be more proactive and not merely reactive. I need to determine what I really want. I need to expect that I can have it and then go for it.
All these interests may lead me to a logical, single, essential purpose for my life. Or they may take me down an unexpected road I never thought of before. I don’t have the answers yet. But I’m excited to share my story and progress with anyone who is interested in this.
And although it seems a little bit late in life for me to be rediscovering myself, it’s always better late than never, don’t you agree? I can’t remember the exact quote but it was by Seth Godin. He said something to the effect that if you share your contribution (insights, experiences, etc.) with others, then it could possibly touch someone or help them and make a difference. But if you hide your contribution, you can’t really be considered an artist, because it’s not really art until a human connection is made.
I don’t know what to sell or how to serve on this site yet but I can share. So that’s how I’ll start. Hopefully, you will find something here of value to illuminate your own path through life, if you haven’t already figured it all out yet.
