StrengthsFinder

My friend D is taking a class on the StrengthsFinder book/concept. She listed her strengths on her blog and I thought I'd do the same here. When you take the assessment, you come up with 5 strengths. These are mine:

1. Intellection
I love to think! A great deep conversation is my favorite for stretching my mental muscles, but I also love to just sit and contemplate the mysteries of the universe. I do my best thinking when I'm alone- in my car or on a hike. I'm introspective. The StrengthsFinder book says it best: "In a sense you are your own best companion, as you pose yourself questions and try out answers on yourself to see how they sound." The truth is, if you were to place microphones in my house, car, or classroom and listen to me, you'd often hear me talking to myself, having full-fledged conversations with people who are not there, practicing what I might say in certain situations. The mental hum is one of the constants of my life.

2. Input
I collect things. Ideas. Information. Books. Facts. Mine is the kind of mind that find many different kinds of things fascinating. The world is exciting because of its infinite variety and complexity. I am constantly adding information to my mental archives, to be recalled at a later time. I hoard information jealously in the faith that it will become useful someday. And all that "useless" knowledge I compile never gets tiring because it keeps my mind fresh and ready for more.

3. Learner
This Strength almost seems redundant in light of the first two. I like to learn. Subject matter rarely, er..., matters but I will always be drawn to the process of learning. I am happiest when taking a class or involved in a study where I am learning new things and being challenged to new ways of thinking. I am energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. And because of this, I have a hard time with people who don't like to learn, or who are happy in their ignorance. An incompetent boss irritates to me to no end. I love a work environment where I am asked to take on short projects and am expected to learn a lot about a subject in a short amount of time. I throw myself whole-heartedly into learning something new and the outsome of the learning is less significant than the process itself.

Now I need to pause and mention something. When I took the StrengthsFinder assessment, I was rather disappointed at these first three because they seem so impractical. Boring, even. In fact, when I told one of my students what my first three are, she said, "You're a nerd, Miss Morales." It's true.  And it's incurable. But then I look at my other two strengths, which don't seem to match in line with the first three. And that excites me.

4. Connectedness
Things happen for a reason, and I'm sure of it.  I have a strong faith and I am certain of the connectedness of all things.  I am a defender of the weak because I know that when we harm others, we are ultimately harming ourselves. This awareness of the connected nature of the world creates my strong sense of values. I am culturally sensitive. I have confidence that we are a part of something larger, and we aren't all on our own trying to make it in a big, mean world. My faith is strong. It sustains me and my close friends in the face of life's mysteries.

5. Responsibility
In classic oldest-child fashion, I take psychological ownership for anything I commit to, large or small. I feel emotionally, morally, and relationally bound to follow through. My good name depends on it! Excuses and rationalizations are not enough to make up for a failure, no matter how small.  I have to make total restitution. I'm extremely conscientious, almost obsessed with doing things right, and I have a strong sense of ethics. I'll get it done, and do it well. I love to volunteer for things, but am wary of signing myself on too much because everything has its cost, and I will not sacrifice my reputation to something which is doomed to failure.