My Strengths of the Clifton StrengthsFinder

     Hey, y'all! I'm so excited to launch my first blog! This has been a longtime goal of mine since about age 14. Even before I became interested in becoming an Agricultural Communications major, I loved soaking up information from online journalists and yearned for the day that I could create my own little segment of the internet to share my thoughts and interests with others. It wasn't until I received a little nudge from one of my professors that this came to fruition. I plan to budget time throughout the semester to blog about agricultural topics, professional business fashion, leadership and team building, and my perspectives as a student striving for success in Ag school.


     Today's post examines my personal strengths discovered by the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment. I purchased a little hardback copy of the StrengthsFinder book for my Professional Leadership Development (AGED 3010) class. This book included an access code in the back that allowed me to utilize the StrengthsFinder website to take the Strengths Test and provided me with so many resources in addition to the book to learn more about my strengths and how to apply them. You may purchase it on Amazon for $15.99.

    My first strength identified was that of being Futuristic (Often thinking about what the future holds). To be quite honest, I knew I was very future oriented, but didn't always view it as a strength. Sometimes this forward-looking mindset causes me great anxiety as I desire to know what exactly is laying before me in the coming days, months, and years. I have been working hard to be more content in the present, enjoying where I am today. However, contentedness doesn't mean I have to brush aside any plans and goals I have for growth in the future. I will implement this strength by setting daily goals to facilitate growth in my academics, personal relationships with others, and my spiritual walk. I'll look ahead to see where I want to be in a year when, Lord willing, I have a diploma in hand. What will my career goals be? A simpler application would be to maintain this blog and produce regular, quality content. I have chosen one of my favorite passages of scripture, Proverbs 31:25 as a reminder of being futuristic. "Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come."    


    Secondly, I was described as having the quality of being a Relator. Simply put, I desire deep relationships with others. I don't desire quantity in my friends, but quality. I have never felt a great need to be popular in order to maintain a large, superficial friend base. This causes me to more often look for friends that hold the same interests and values that I cherish. While I desire this, I have noticed that my busy schedule accompanying my new phase of life has caused me to become neglectful of some that are dearest to me. May I work to strengthen these bonds and value the relationships God has blessed me with.


    Another strength I discovered was that I possessed the skill of Input. This means that I am constantly absorbing new information. One of the best lessons I have learned in school to be successful is to find the practical application in any lesson. This has caused me to have so much fun in classes I never thought I'd enjoy. I hate math, but I managed to collect sprinkles of joy in Statistics, and Ag Engineering and my economics classes were a ball! I never seem to have enough time for leisurely reading alongside my textbook assignments. My latest obsession is the world of podcasting where I can listen to meaningful debate and discussion while folding laundry or commuting to school. The sharability of social media makes it easy to collect articles from friends that hold similar interests as me. I also love gathering new information that I can utilize as conversational currency.


    My next strength is the desire for context. My motto has always been the quote attributed to George Santayana, "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it." I have loved history since the fourth grade. I integrate the strength of input with my strength of context to create orderly theories of how society has developed over time. I love studying changes in fashion over the years; my favorite class of the semester dives into the evolution of media in culture; and I enjoy studying the feminist movement in culture, not as a feminist, but as a woman that sees herself as being capable of sharing responsibility with her husband by contributing to the welfare of the family in a homemaker role while others are searching for fulfillment in the office setting. I think of my preacher, who is quoted with saying the key is, "Context, context, context!" while teaching classes on proper Bible study. I desire to understand the whole picture and how the pieces fit together when involvement is expected of me in a situation.


    My final characteristic is the strength of Belief. It is understood that I hold on to a set of core values that guide my life. As you may have guessed from previous statements in this article, I hold firmly to the inspired word of God as my life compass. I thank God I was raised in a family where His truth was taught. Although my parents raised me with this belief, I have used my strengths of Input and Context to devote myself to personal study to prove it to be true. I have a clear standard of what is righteous or unholy in His sight and am willing to speak with anyone who has questions concerning my faith.


   Taking the StrengthsFinder Assessment was a great experience for me! While none of these surprised me as being present in my life, I never expected to see them specified as my strengths. I was able to gain a much greater understanding of myself and my character. Dear friends, I ask that you encourage me to use these strengths to better myself. By all means, point out my weaknesses so I may grow! Nevertheless, one of the best methods of self-improvement is to build off of your strengths and use them to overcome your weaknesses!