If Strengths Had a Birthday
In honor of my birthday week, I’m sharing a blog from a friend and fellow Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Chris Heinz. Chris and I have both celebrated a birthday this month, and I found truth, humor, and insight in his thoughts about how our natural talents – the ways we’re wired – impact all parts of our lives, even how we want to celebrate our birthdays!
I got to thinking how my strengths might affect the way I want to celebrate my birthday, and how folks with other strengths may celebrate theirs. We've already considered how the strengths may do Disney World® and choose a baby name. In this post, we wonder what they might do on their special day.
By "34 strengths," we're referring to Gallup’s 34 CliftonStrengths® of talent. I’m a Gallup Certified Strengths coach and love helping people awaken to their talents. Being aware of your talents, growing them into strengths, and aiming them toward your goals is a key to success in life and work.
Here's how the 34 strengths may celebrate their birthday:
Achiever®: You go to work on your birthday
Activator®: You invite friends to your party before you have a time and location
Adaptability®: You wake up and then decide how to celebrate
Analytical®: You ponder all the ways the last year has made you better and worse
Arranger®: You plan out your day to include visits with your favorite people and stops at your favorite hangouts
Belief®: You ask for donations to your favorite causes rather than gifts for yourself
Command®: You ask the gift giver for the receipt because you don’t want the gift they gave you
Communication®: You toast your friends at your party with meaningful words
Competition®: You play board games, video games or go bowling
Connectedness®: You think back on the last year and feel grateful at how the hard times helped you grow
Consistency®: You don’t want any special treatment
Context®: You pull out picture albums from days past
Deliberative®: You spend a very long time deciding how to celebrate your birthday, including what could go wrong
Developer®: You let your kids decide how to celebrate your birthday
Discipline®: You do what you always do on your birthday
Empathy®: You cancel your plans to help your friend who’s having a bad day
Focus®: You go on the dream trip that you have prioritized and saved for
Futuristic®: You dream about the “future you”
Harmony®: You ask everyone what they want to do on your birthday
Ideation®: You create a list with lots of birthday options
Includer®: You invite friends, family, acquaintances, and people you just met to your party
Individualization®: You treasure gifts that are uniquely just for you, no matter how inexpensive they are
Input®: You ask for pieces to add to your collection—the more the better
Intellection®: You watch a movie or attend a lecture, and then discuss with friends
Learner®: You decide which new skills you’ll learn in the next year
Maximizer®: You plan your day, then make it better, then plan your day, then make it better
Positivity®: You’re so happy that you get accused of inhaling helium but actually haven’t
Relator®: You get together with the same small group of friends with whom you always celebrate each other’s birthdays
Responsibility®: You ask for gift cards so you can choose your own gifts
Restorative™: You make a wish to fix the world’s problems
Self-Assurance®: You go skydiving, swimming with sharks, and/or skinny dipping
Significance®: You write a note to someone who has made an impact on you
Strategic®: You get to the restaurant and find they’ve lost your reservation, then plan a quick alternative, which ends up being better than the first place
Woo®: You tell people in line at the store that it’s your birthday
What else would the strengths do on their birthday?
Hit reply to let us know!
Copyright © 2019 Gallup, Inc. All right reserved. Gallup®, CliftonStrengths®, and each of the 34 CliftonStrengths theme names are trademarks of Gallup, Inc.
Our guest blogger:
Check out Chris’ other blogs on HeinzSight!
HeinzSight is for people interested in career development, leadership, and personal growth. Chris Heinz shares his experiences as an HR leader, career coach, and leadership trainer while exploring the importance of meaning, purpose, and spiritual well-being.
Like this blog?
Sign up to get new posts delivered directly to your inbox!