Project 31: Day 2

What makes you uniquely you?

I am turning to a book to answer this question. I love taking personality tests seeing where I fall on a spectrum of introvert/extrovert, what job I “should be doing”, what animal I would be compared to, but recently I purchased, well my husband purchased, Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath for me. You take an online test that takes about 30 minutes and they give you your top five strengths and then a description of each strength and how to optimize who you are. I was blown away by the results they seriously hit the nail on the head. Here are my results in order of things that make me, me...

Empathy- At five years old I remember walking home from school and stepping over the threshold to my house I had this pit in my stomach as I looked at my mom’s usually happy smiley face greet me still with a smile but a different kind of smile. A sad smile. Instantly I knew something was wrong, no words, still a smile, but definitely something wrong. She then told me my dog had passed away while I was at school. “Empathy means I can sense the emotions of others around me and can feel their feelings as if they are my own. I don’t condone the choice each person makes or feel pity for their predictment necessarily but I do understand and have an instinctive ability to hear the unvoiced questions and the unspoken needs. Other people’s happiness brings me pleasure and I am sensitive to the feelings of others readily gauging the emotional tone of the room” (97-99).

Discipline-Having a child really tests this part of my personality, but it’s so good for me. “My world needs to be predictable. It needs to be ordered and planned”. So, I of course when I found out I was pregnant I was drawn to Baby Wise (you can’t follow a book page by page though haha unfortunately all babies aren’t the same and have their own personalities). “ I instinctively impose structure on my world, setting up routines, focusing on timelines and deadlines and to-do lists. The routines, structure, timelines help me feel in control. I not only create order but I crave it wanting to have a place for everything and have everything in its place” (93-95). See how mommyhood can test this. Darn it, I was hoping this description wouldn’t describe me, I think unpredictable people are fun, I think people should like surprises but I am realizing I just may not be one of those haha. Although I do love gift surprises, just don’t plan a trip without me being able to plan out Corbyn details, outfit details, scheduling details, etc. I like to have fun but I like to schedule fun.

Developer- When I played softball for Point Loma Nazarene University we would do community clinics for little softball players. It was fun to run around with them giving them some skills and handing out as many high five and hugs necessary but within three minutes I could pick out the girls that naturally knew how to grip a bat and who naturally could throw a ball further than 3 feet. “I can see the potential in others. Very often, potential is all I see. Each person is a work in progress, alive with possibility and I am drawn to people for this very reason. When I interact with others my goal is to help them experience success” (89-91). I am a cheerleader.

Relator- I still have friends from elementary school in California. I still meet with my friends from high school in Scottsdale. I still talk to my friends from college in San Diego. My phone has become permanently attached to my head when driving since this is my only quiet, usually alone time to catch up with people. “As a relator I derive a great deal or strength and happiness from being around close friends. Friends are my fuel. A relationship only has value to me if it is genuine so I deliberately learn as much as I can about people I meet. Relationships are life" (145-147).

Maximizer- “Excellence, not average, is my measure. Transforming something strong into something superb takes much effort but is thrilling. Strengths, whether mine or others, fascinate me” (137-139). My guess is this is what made me a good student, a good softball player, and a bad loan officer (cold calls, seriously, shoot me, what was I thinking), and continues to make me a good mommy and a good wife (per my hubby).

A few more not so deep, things that make me unique. I use too many commas in sentences, as I always got marked down for not having enough, so I over compensate now. I hate when people post things or send emails in all caps, I feel like their yelling at me; I don’t like being yelled at. I have started probably seven books this year and finished zero. I’ve been to the same hairdresser for 14 years even when I lived 6 hours away and now an hour and a half away. TV is relaxing to me but a movie at home not so much. I look at the pictures of my son on my desk probably 1000 times a day!

What makes you uniquely you? If you don't have an answer or want to even just understand yourself more, I highly recommend Tom Rath's Strength Finder 2.0, take the test first then read it, or in my case just read the strengths you got, its much faster =).

Pictures of me and two of the boys who have helped me become me