Discover Your Strengths

Here is another good read, Now,Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton.

A friend/mentor of mine offered this book to me to aid in my personal development. If he ever reads this post, I want him to know that I am very appreciative. Thank you my friend.

According to the authors, there are thirty-four (34) signature strengths or themes as it is interchangeably used. Everyone has strengths (naturally), but the book categorizes and ranks them into our top 5 most dominant. These top 5 strengths are influential when it comes to even the smallest decisions we make.

The book offers a website http://www.strengthsfinder.com/113647/Homepage.aspx, which suggests the reader to take a one-hundred and eighty(180) question assessment. After completing this assessment you will receive your Top Five (5) strengths. In order for you to take the assessment and receive your results you have to purchase a copy of the book so that you can enter the the code located inside.

My top 5 strengths are: Belief, Input, Futuristic, Significance, and Context

As you read this book, you'll notice that it constantly talks about capitalizing on our strengths, rather than dwelling on our weaknesses. At first, I found myself disagreeing with the book, because I'm trying to become a well rounded individual, and to me that means minimizing my weaknesses. I later realized that the book isn't necessarily telling us to ignore our weaknesses, but rather manage our weaknesses with our strengths by honing them. [You'll have to read this book to discover how to do this.]

Below is a list of the thirty-four (34) different strengths

- 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

Each strength or theme has a page description in the book, I'm sure you all understand why I am not going to go into detail about each one.

Now, Discover Your Strengths is a very good read and I encourage to take the assessment as well.

What are your strengths?