Strengths finder and understanding one's self

Two weeks ago, my good friend, Leb  (or Liv) sent me a link to a free strengths finder test. It's based on the popular research by Jim Clifton.

I finally had the time to take the test this morning and according to the results, these are my top five strengths: Ideation (100%), Maximizer (100%), Communication (100%), Belief (95%), and Intellection (90%).

I also had the opportunity to ask Leb how the results of the test affected her. She told me that it made her understand herself more and made her want to improve on her strengths. On the other hand, Joni, another good friend who also took the test, answered that she was surprised with her results. When I saw mine, I have to side with Joni. I am more surprised than reflective. LOL. I mean, out of the five, I can only agree that I am strong in regard to the last two: Belief and Intellection. So I think, I'll begin to improve on those strengths first. Here are the result's suggestions:

Belief (95%):
People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

Tips to Improve this Strength:

• Make efforts to discover your true passion and tie it to your work, no matter what you do.
• Align, but don't compromise, your values to that of your organization.
• You respect others for learning about your family and community - give them the opportunity.
• You give more value to greater levels of service than more money - let others know this.
• People may not share your beliefs, but you feel they need to understand & respect - let them.

Intellection (90%):
People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.

Tips to Improve this Strength:
Look for opportunities to capitalize on your being completely energized by thinking.
Don't hesitate to challenge others or be challenged in your thinking.
Schedule a few long stretches of time to simply muse.
Seek to help others with books, reports, and articles and give them a report of your involvement.
Do have detailed discussions on introspection and self-discovery with interested parties.
Pressure yourself to present your thinking in efforts to enhance the clarity of your thoughts.

x X x

Anyway, while I may not agree with the results in general, I must say that there were questions in the test that struck me. And I think that those questions really do define me. Those are (but these are not the exact words in the test):

1. I believe that everything has a purpose; that we're all part of a bigger picture;
2. I like encouraging others. I am refreshed when I refresh others;
3. I like making my points through stories; and
4. I have this great need to think. I like order and organizing my thoughts because when I don't think, my inner self gets chaotic.

If you're interested in taking the test, here's a link.

Good day. :)