The Action Plan 2.0

I read a book last year called StrengthsFinder 2.0. The author was affiliated with the Gallup poll people.

The book isn't really what you're buying, though. You're really purchasing one shot at taking an online personality test which will try to asses you innate strengths.

The idea is that you learn your strengths and then focus time building them up. They also try to give hints as to what activities you might consider in order to hone your strengths and offset your weaknesses. The results also suggest the type of people you might want to partner with or consult in order to help complement your natural abilities.

Interestingly, personalities weaknesses seem to be personality strengths in overdrive.

After taking this test, you're given an "action plan" that lays out your top five strengths along with suggested activites that will help you use and hone those abilities.

Here are the top five strengths in my test results along with a short paraphrase of their implications:

• Learning -- Enjoy taking in new information. Sometimes teaching is the best way to learn, so a tendency for teaching might be there, too. (I hate learning.) (Just kidding. I hate learning stuff I'm not interested in. I love to follow my nose, though! I've battled with wanting to teach. I'm too afraid to go into education.)

• Restorative -- Love to find the root or source of a problem and then fix it. (Hey . . . I have to do that at work fixing computer problems. Hmmm . . .)

• Input -- Love to express oneself. Especially information recently learned-- Love to teach, express oneself or make presentations. (My blogging activity is an example I guess . . .)

• Analytical -- Detailed oriented. Enjoy the logical analysis of data. (I am a little anal sometimes . . . but the logic processing aspects of my brain have been asleep most of my life. I've got a lot of catching up to do!)

• Harmony -- Hates conflict and confrontation. Looks for ways to reconcile oneself to others, or looks to reconcile estranged parties as a mediator. (I do hate conflicts. I will get angry sometimes. But generally, I'm a pussy. But when I do get pissed . . . I'm like David Banner off that '70s Hulk TV series: Please-- don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry . . .)

I forgot about the results of my personality test until a few days ago. I found where I had copied my action plan somewhere and forgot all about it.

I dusted it off (so to speak) and thought I'd give it another go.

Monday through Friday of each week, I'll dedicate each weekday towards honing each of my strengths.

I'm a little excited. I hope I see some results in the months to come.