What are Your Strengths???

For Seminary this week, we read StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Neil Clifton. It describes the wonderful emphasis on identifying and catering to your strengths, instead of trying to improve or overcome your weaknesses.

The text lists 32 strengths. We were asked to identify our top five after reading the book (we will take the test next week, which will help to better identify actual strengths). I most identified with: Relator, Intellection, Achiever, Belief, and Learner.

Relator: Like those described in the book, I tend to have close, deep friendships, I derive great joy from being around my close friends, and I am very comfortable intimacy.[1] I tend to get to know people cautiously, but once I decide you are ok, I don’t hold anything back of who I am. Thus, the friendships I make tend to be pretty solid. As I have aged, I have gained some wisdom in vetting people to determine who I will take risks to open my heart to.

Intellection: I love and enjoy thinking about things! My mind is very active in thought and processes all day long. My journal and relationships are where I sort through my thoughts. Reading books is enjoyable but a challenge because my mind quickly identifies things to more deeply consider. My mental activity is both focused and unfocused.[2] It is very focused on consciously trying to tackle my own sanctification and reinforcing my walk with Christ; it is very unfocused in that I need help directing my thoughts and can easily think on different things at once, which means I can easily get spread too far and wide in thought.

Achiever: I can definitely relate (there’s a Relator word) to wanting to achieve every day. I organize my work and home life into tasks I need to complete. My lists of things to do each day usually aren’t over achievable and are definitely not long lists of 80-100 items.[3] Rather they are usually 3 or 4 things I know I need to get done at work. Then the same number when I get home. Once those things are done, I can enter into and enjoy space for rest, relaxation, and enjoyment.

Belief: Like the believers described in the text, I am highly spiritual and have high ethics for myself and others.[4] While I am not family oriented, my sense of belief really drives me to leave behind distractions and to pursue spirituality for the sake of greater intimacy with Christ. It has guided me to find work that meshes with my values.[5] Now my work demonstrates some of that, but the more important piece of belief is knowing (for certain) that God led me to be where I am now employed. His guidance is a key component of my strong belief.

Learner: For me, the process of learning is more enjoyable than getting to the end result.[6] I see this pattern in a lot of what I do. It may be hard for me to initially start something, but once I start – watch out! I get caught up in discovery and can lose myself in it! I am great at research, gathering information, or purchasing what is needed to accomplish a task or endeavor. Actually doing something or getting to the end is a letdown sometimes. This is one reason study (exegesis) of the Bible is, I think becoming more attractive to me.

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[1]Don., Clifton, StrengthsFinder 2.0 (New York: GALLUP PRESS, 2017),  

[2] Clifton, 129.

[3] Clifton, 37.

[4] Clifton, 57.

[5] Clifton, 57.

[6] Clifton, 133.