My Strengths

So last week, I was urged to take the VIA Strengths Test at www.authentichappiness.com. It is a pretty long test, 240 questions, so I waited till Leah and Michael were both in bed and I could concentrate on it without being interrupted. I tried to be especially honest with this test, but I had some difficulty, and I will explain why after I give the results.

So, in order, here are my top strengths and what they say about me:

1. (Top Strength) Modesty and humility: You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special, and others recognize and value your modesty.

2. (Second Strength) Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty: You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group.

3. Curiosity and interest in the world: You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

4. Gratitude: You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

5. Leadership: You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

There are 24 strengths total, but those are my top 5. I think they are pretty representative of me, looking back over past accomplishments and present state of mind and accomplishments, I'd say this is pretty accurate.

The difficulty I had came in questions that said things like, "Your friends see you as..." or "Your co-workers see you as..." type things. Because I do tend to downplay my accomplishments (see top strength!), it's hard for me to say how others see me, as I don't see myself as anything special. Still, the results are pretty accurate, so I guess I won't sweat it too hard.

Now I need to come up with what to do with my results. This test was suggested to me as a planning tool for what I'm going to do as I'm looking ahead to the next few years of my life. There's a book entitled Authentic Happiness that is not available at my local library, and is not on PBS at the moment either. I've put it on my wish list and we'll see what happens when I get it! :-) Have you taken the test? What are your strengths?