Book Review: StrengthsFinder 2.0

StrengthsFinder 2.0 arrived on my doorstep about 2 weeks ago (courtesy of the residence life department I'm working for in the fall - thank you!) It seemed a promising read, but in my normal procrastinating nature, I didn't open it until yesterday.

StrengthsFinder is, just as the title says, about finding your strengths. The idea is that too many times we focus on our faults and how to fix them, rather than focusing on our talents and maximizing them. The book states the belief that if more people worked this way, we essentially would all be more successful and happier.

The real magic of the book is that it comes with a code where you can log onto the StrengthsFinder website & take the assessment to find out your strengths. When you finish the assessment, you will find out your top 5 themes (classifications of talent) out of 34 that exist in the Clifton StrengthsFinder, and you receive detailed information on those talents as well as a list of specific ways you can apply them in your work.

Now, I've taken many "personality" quizzes and stuff of the like, but the Clifton StrengthsFinder is something else - it is wickedly accurate. While reading my results I seriously kept making a Home Alone face and yelling "oh my gosh that is SO me!" It's that accurate. Amazing.

My top 5 themes were restorative, deliberative, ideation, input, and context. Basically, I like to fix problems, I'm a private person, I love creativity, I crave knowledge, & I respect the past (if I could sum up each theme and how it specifically applies to me - the StrengthsFinder results are much more detailed and my fragments do them no justice!)

Another fun thing is figuring out how the theme applies to you. You and a friend could have the same theme, but it exists in you in different ways. For example, I think there are multiple types of problem solvers. Some love the thrill of fixing unexpected problems, and are fast decision makers. I, on the other hand,  prefer a longer problem solving process. I like to mull things over and flesh out each option as much as possible to make 100% certain that I make the right decision (because I hate having to re-do things. I'd rather take the time and do it right the first time.) I like fixing things just as much as other problem solvers, I just have a different way about doing it.

Also, getting back to the creepy accurateness of my results: "you simply cannot have too much information. It is impossible. Like a miner searches for gold day after day, you continually collect new bits of knowledge." How does it know this?! How did StrengthsFinder know I'm addicted to Sporcle, I wiki EVERYTHING under the sun, I keep a notebook documenting the things I find via IMDB, & that I actually have a book specifically about completely useless information? (My dad couldn't stop laughing when I read him this result, I am always spouting off some miscellaneous fact when we're together!)

Overall, I think StrengthsFinder 2.0 is a great book and if anything, it really helped me articulate what my talents are and helped me learn how I can become more successful by honing in on the things I'm naturally good at.

If you have taken the StrengthsFinder assessment, what are your top 5? Did you find them to be accurate? How have you applied them in your life? Please share!


xoxo erikah

growing up

I've been putting off growing up for as long as I can remember.

Flashback to this past summer: I was 22, a recent grad, and had no idea where my life was going. I had a lot of ideas, but nothing I was too sure about. Without any specific direction, I was terrified of entering the corporate world as this small town girl who was so unsure of herself.

When I originally went to college, I wanted to pursue film - I had high hopes of becoming an editor or something of the like. By sophomore year, all of my intentions were in the rear-view mirror and I hadn't a clue of what I wanted to do. I ended up graduating with a degree in public relations, which I loved, but even when I took on the major, I never fully expected to get a job in that field. PR, by itself, wasn't something I full-hearted loved.

I have been very fortunate to have a year off between undergrad and *hopefully* grad school (in the application process!) and it really has allowed me to discover myself. I know a lot of people my age who "never want to grow up" and I really think this fear stems from not knowing what you want to do with your life, which essentially stems from not knowing yourself well enough. I think too many people settle into a job that is financially satisfying or beneficial in another way (work hours, time off, etc) but doesn't fully entice them emotionally... which is so important.

You should use everyday of your life to reflect and grow. If you don't like your major today, why wait until tomorrow to change it? Pursue something you're passionate about, and really pursue it. A job may not be sitting on your doorstep when you graduate. College doesn't last forever, so I understand when students would rather spend their summers with friends or hang out with their roommates this weekend as opposed to "working," but if said work is something you enjoy, then is it really "working?" Sure you could go on a vacation all summer, but maybe an internship with an amazing company isn't a bad idea, because if you love the work, the rest of your life will seem like a vacation.

Know that this is coming from an ex-student who cherished a lot of time with her friends and devoted no time to herself. A person who was willing to wait for opportunity to come knocking at her door. A girl who shot for less than her dreams, because, well, something's better than nothing, right?

This year off has really woke me up. I can't expect other people to pave out what I want in my life, I'm the only one in control of that. I can't wait, and wish, and hope, and dream - I have to pursue, and act, and aspire, and succeed! I can, and I will.

For once, I am excited about my future and I am ready to grow up.

xoxo erikah

oh the places I'll go: If only I knew what to choose!

Today's dilemma: what do I want to pursue under the umbrella of student affairs/higher ed.

Maybe not so much a dilemma, since I don't have to choose now, but I feel like the sooner I realize the better off I'll be.

Reslife. Having been an RA for 3 years of my undergrad, it is something that I naturally lean to pursuing. I am *hoping* to get a graduate apprenticeship in this area, I just don't know if it something I could do long term? I miss it terribly, but it seems like such a stressful job that I don't know if I could handle it for a long time. So much respect to those who do! Sometimes it seems like a job that's hard to get away from, although that may be only if I go down the Center Coordinator route. For sure need to look into my other options under the Housing umbrella :)

Student Life. I don't know that I was ever "heavily" involved in Student Life, but anything I was a part of , I definitely loved with all my heart. If I could do Camp Crimson until I'm 83, I would. If I could work with Sooner Scandals until I'm 96, I would. My biggest fear about going this route is I don't know if I'm right for it. Sure, I love it a lot, but I don't know that my personality suits the area well... I'd be afraid of falling short in comparison to those who are much more involved I suppose.

Maybe somewhere else entirely! I think I would enjoy working for the journalism college/department on a campus (I find it hard to pull myself away from how much I love media, advertising, PR). I know I would probably love working in recruitment or another job where I could work with freshmen.

All I know is I love college, I love sharing my enthusiasm with others and making them love college like I do. Hopefully no matter what I fall into, I'll always have the chance of doing that. <3

must'a been an awful storm...

I know, I know. I have been gone for so long!
Well I've been here the whole time, just focusing on other personal things than my career.

I have started working more with my interest in photography and I had a two week long trip to New Mexico. I had hoped to visit the campus during my time, but unfortunately didn't get the chance to.

I feel that things are kind of settling down, getting into a schedule, and now I can focus more on my career aspirations. I have been working on my application to apply for grad school (yay!) and I have been thinking a lot about what I would like to accomplish in the next year.

Currently with my downtime, I think I'd like to perhaps find a virtual internship? I can't seem to find much work in Waxahachie, but I'd like to find more things to work on to occupy my time. I'd also like to find an internship right now or in the spring time because I think I'd like to actually work next summer to start saving some money up.

I think that's about it for me right now :)

I hope to update at least once a week, more often if I find anything of interest.

xoxo e

erikah meets the world.

In a little over a month I will graduate and officially be done with my time here at the University of Oklahoma.

What's on the horizon?

I am not entirely sure.

I felt like my life was going to fall apart, but know that I am in power of keeping it together and I control my future. I can't just let it go by the wayside anymore and I can't expect things to just come to me (you think I would have learned this long ago.)

I've come to the realization that I don't think I want to completely saturate myself and work in the music industry, but I would love for my future career to involve music in some way, shape, or form. I have also opened myself up to many other career options, so it is going to be interesting to see what happens. Right now I think it would be interesting to work for a non-profit organization, beauty pageants, tourism.. probably other things as well. I will actually be very excited to just work on almost anything where I can perhaps do promotions or something. While this is all very 'scary' to think about growing up, it's amazing at the same time.

Within the past day my plans for the near future have changed. I hope to stay in Norman, Okla. for the summertime and work a summer camp position while also volunteering with OU's Lindsey + Asp Student PR/Advertising Agency and am also looking into summer virtual internships. My options come fall are to return home and find something there, or, if God allows, I am hoping to get an internship for a semester's time. I never thought about doing graduate school, but occurred to me today if I can score internships to last me until Fall 2011, perhaps I could just start graduate school then. So now doors are opened to look at grad schools, but I just am not sure yet what to major in. I am actually very divided on that subject, but I hope to find a school to where I can GA in someway.

Just trying to stay positive :) I know that it will take plenty of time, but I hope to find the job of my dreams through hard work and dedication to the process.