strengths...

i'm taking a leadership class this semester... one of the requirements for the class is to read the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton... the subtitle is "The revolutionary program that show you how to develop your unique talents and strengths - and those of the people you manage." - it's based on a gallup study... and basically, it breaks down the strengths of the entire human population into 34 strengths... and whoever buys the book (with the special code on the inside cover) can go to their website, take the test and it will spit out the top 5 strengths...

the 34 strengths are as follows:
achiever activator adaptability analytical arranger belief command communication competition connectedness context deliberative developer discipline empathy fairness focus futuristic harmony ideation inclusiveness individualization input intellection learner maximizer positivity relator responsibility restorative self-assurance significance strategic woo

so today i took the test and these are the five that were spit at me... i think they're in ranked order...

MY SIGNATURE THEMES:
Adaptability: People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

Woo: People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.

Empathy: People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.

Positivity: People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.

Communication: People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

personally, i'm really excited that one of my themes is "woo"... woo hoo!!!

i kind of had to laugh... we've been talking about empathy a lot in pastoral counseling... and i'd pretty much decided i am the most un-empathetic person in the whole world... AND... the positivity thing also made me laugh... sometimes i feel SO negative... but... (which means everything before that was negated...) when two of my friends from school saw the list, they pointed to those two characteristics and said, "that is so you... i can totally see that..." which made me really happy... sometimes i think i don't see what others can see... (and maybe sometimes i see stuff that isn't there?)