On the dark road, where can we find the light? No, not getting all spiritual. Just getting metaphorical.
Recently I was listening to my sister Jamie interview our sister Shannon in a podcast. I was riveted by Jamie's analysis of what is true or untrue and Shannon's take on creativity is so fascinating and fabulous. A topic they discussed that I could not stop thinking about was how much the book Strengthsfinder 2.0 helped Shannon realize so much about herself. Basically this book leads to an online quiz that helps you figure out your strengths. The author believes that by focusing on your strengths, you can find your destiny.
Jamie had bought me this book years ago and it was so helpful to me I keep the printout of the quiz's results in my desk so when I feel lost, I go over it like an informative touchstone.
Ideation is one of my strengths. I love ideas and my brain doesn't shut off. It explains why reality TV fascinates me (to my mom's horror!) because people are totally unpredictable and keep my brain guessing. It explains why I am a writer, I need to communicate my thoughts. It also explains why blogging works for me, I can immediately connect with others intellectually and have a dialogue of thoughts and ideas.
Intellection explains why I am so introspective and need to connect on a cerebral level. There is nothing worse than when my brain gets bored. It is physically painful for me. I have no interest in friends who have nothing important to say, no political stance, just want to party. That has never been my scene.
Input explains why I am so obsessed with food. When I began my foodie journey, I knew nothing. I mean, NOTHING. A whole knew world to learn from and explore, could there be anything more delicious? It helped my brain work a whole new way and gave me a focus for my writing and my photography.
Strategic shows my out-of-the-box perspective. I learned a while ago that I am a multi-dimensional thinker. Which is very frustrating. I am not linear. I see many elements of what is going on around me so I have a very keen sense of a situation but putting my perspective into words or rational thought is not easy. As a result, I can be very good at games, figuring things out and if I want to, be manipulative.
All of these made perfect sense, they were very air-sign oriented. Very mind-oriented. Then I also found out that I am an activator. As wonderful and great as keeping my mind busy, thinking, analyzing, seeking... I am a huge doer! I can not just sit still with these thoughts and for most of my life, I did not know what that meant. What am I supposed to DO?! Writing was always too passive for me and my body hates being still. Now I know why.
Again, this is where food comes in. I do not just want to learn about food, I want to make it! I want to taste it, to chop the components up with my own hands. Because of my illness, there is so little I can actually do but make one recipe a day? When things are good, I come close to making that happen. I feel so much better when I am doing, on top of analyzing, thinking, strategizing... It is not enough to just think. I must also move.
It is great to know all of these elements of strength but the most freeing thing about it is now I can let fiction go. My whole life I thought I was going to be an author of fiction but now I know that is not my shtick. Trying to get lost in story through words always ended with me wanting to weep. It is just too passive and that is OK.
I am a writer of my truth. Whether it means complaining about the fact I can't actually do anything here because of the miserable weather or how I escape the confines of this life by figuring out what goes in to making my perfect grilled cheese sandwich, I am still writing about my reality and what I or am not doing. Fiction holds no energy for me. It used to but no longer works for me. I can not officially let that old dream go.
I feel so much better now! Finding your strengths can help you discover your truths. Even though my career dreams may be over, learning about my strengths helped me figure out how to keep them strong and me happy. I have made peace about so much from this book and if you are lost on a dark road and need a basic compass, I highly recommend it. It is a great starting point for us lost souls.
3 comments:
Aw! I'm so glad to hear that finding the strengths was so liberating! I found it made such a difference, not only in claiming what I live (Achievement! Learning!) but also letting go the things that didn't work. Knowing ourselves makes such a huge difference in our lives and claiming our paths.
You know Shannon, I totally thought I was a learner too which is why I had to go back and check on everything. Fascinating you have that and achievement, I can see that! Yes, self-knowledge is so important and I really appreciate you reminding me of mine too. Love yours, so fascinating!
This sounds really interesting to me Suzie...I do think it is good to focus on strengths. What we focus on expands. Will look for this.
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