Strength Finders 2.0

Going into this Post, I'm already having conflicting thoughts about the premise of Strength Finders. But a quick intro for those of you who aren't familiar. Tom Wrath writes that too often we devote time to fixing our shortcomings than developing our strengths; so Wrath teamed up with scientists/psychologists to develop an assessment to help people discover their talents. With the help of Donald Cliftons years of studying they developed the 'Clifton StrengthFinder assessment'. Many anecdotes and debates later the book concludes:

"You cannot be anything you want to be - but you can be a lot more of who you already are."

I can't deny, that the stubborn part of me totally disagrees, and feels as though our shortcomings are too tempting to not try to overcome. But as with Mr. Brian Johnson's Philosophers Notes, I've been trying to be more optimistic and positive with myself, my thoughts, and everything in life. So why not focus on your strengths. (Even as I type that I'm cringing, and wanting to scream - "But what about working on your weaknesses!" Ugh).

For the sake of exploring what Strength Finders 2.0 has to offer, I'll swollow those thoughts...for now. Upon taking the assessment my strengths were deemed as the following: Strategic, Relator, Empathy, Achiever, and Futuristic.

Strategic:

People who are especially talented in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed.

Faced with any given scenario, they can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues.

Relator:

People who are especially talented in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others.

They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.

Empathy:

People who are especially talented in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other

people by imagining themselves in others’ lives or others’ situations.

Achiever:

People who are especially talented in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and

work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Futuristic:

People who are especially talented in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what

could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future.

I remember when I read the full descriptions of my strengths. I was blown away with how just accurate they were...and its not like how horoscopes are accurate for anyone that reads them; it was legit. I felt especially connected to the "Achiever". Bear with me while I regurgitate some of the description, if you have any desire to understand this girl, ME, more...read ahead.

"Your achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if everyday starts a zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself...No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. Or focused, but it will always be with you. You must learn to live with this whisper of discontent...It is the theme that keeps you moving."

Amen.