1.  What's your top 5?

IDEATION|INDIVIDUALIZATION|INPUT|STRATEGIC| DELIBERATIVE

2.  How do you see them playing in your life?

Ideation-Usually when listening to others talk, I want to blurt out "I have an idea..." Really creative ideas flow like a faucet and I often need to edit a high volume of them so not to overwhelm others.

Individualization-I love spending quality time with small groups of people, asking them really great questions and learning interesting things about them. Weekly, I schedule large doses of time like this. It feeds me- and usually them- and allows me to flourish!

Input-I lost a great deal of my memory many years ago [ its back! ] because I was constantly collecting a wide variety of information and resources, just in case I needed it for others. The evernote app has enabled me to not clutter my mind with so much, but to quickly file anything away for instant retrieval when needed.

Strategic- When I am working on an interior design project for a client, I love to create an innovative solution to a problem others don't think can be solved.

Deliberative- I tend to give alot of thought to bigger decisions. While sometimes WAY too much time spent unnecessarily, I usually make solid choices. Having a really great peer accountability friend who is a strong activator, I spend more time the balcony than basement of deliberative.

3.  What's your favorite theme?
Ideation absolutely gives me the most oxygen! I thrive not only on being an innovator but to create solutions that are a perfect fit and on target to make a meaningful difference.

4.  What's the one theme that "get's in your way?" 
My "deliberative" strength often has me aiming too long before I fire. For example, I was deliberating about when to get trained as a strengths coach and a close colleague, who is an activator, got me out of the basement of deliberative and encouraged me to hop on the plane within 2 weeks! No regrets.  

5.  How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?  
Having the affirmation gave me the permission to reimagine how I spend my time and the insight as to where I was believing a lie. I find it very interesting that in the middle of the word "belief" is the word "LIE"! My lie was that I was great at executing. This was being reinforced by many kudos from others, but they weren't seeing the pain or excessive amount of time it was taking and while I was, the kudos were overshadowing the pain.

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What's your top 5?
Empathy
Developer
Restorative
Positivity
Includer

How do you see them playing out in your life?
I see them playing out in my life every day! I love people! I love being relational and building people up. I grew up as a military child which meant I moved around a lot. I basically had to learn how to be relational in order to make friends. I have always been empathic with people. I want people in my life to know I understand who they are and that I care about them. Growing up I wanted to be involved in everything and hated being left out of anything. My parents and family have always called me a social butterfly. Presently I am a teacher so everyday I am working with kids teaching them not only academics but social and emotional skills. I am teaching them how to be responsible and communicate with those around them. I am speaking into their life reminding them that they are unique, strong and still learning and growing. I am also speaking and sharing with their parents. I actually love this part of my job because I love seeing the growth and change of their children throughout the year.

What's your favorite theme?
My favorite theme is Includer! I don't want anyone to be left out and want everyone to feel loved, secure and accepted! 

What's the one theme that "gets in your way"?
Empathy because I love being able to empathize with people but there are times when I have to take feelings out of situation and that is hard. I have to try really hard to not always "wear my emotions on my sleeves." 

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
Knowing my Top 5 has been amazing! It has empowered me to know that I am in the right profession and that I can utilize my top 5 to build relationships and succeed in my career. It has also allowed me to see the purpose in my own life. I know the things I am passionate about and what my strengths are so it's easier to know when i am in a team situation where I excel and how to communicate that to others. I highly recommend everyone to find out what their strengths are!

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 What's your top 5?
Strategic
Connectedness
Belief
Adaptability
Communication

How do you see them playing out in your life?
When I look at my Top 5 Strengths and think about my life, it becomes clear that these strengths have helped me get to where I am today.  As a strategic thinker, I am able to easily sort through the clutter that life can often give you and find what I think is the best way to approach an issue.  This has come in handy in both my personal and professional life.  Connectedness and Belief stem from my deep faith and my knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that God is in control (even though sometimes I pretend I am!).  I will plan, research, prepare, and work hard on things in my life, all the while knowing that I ultimately want His will to be done – even if it goes against what I think is best.  Sometimes this is an easy lesson to learn, often it is a tough pill to swallow, but always it is the brilliant answer that so perfectly reflects His truth!  And finally, I see communication as the answer to every problem. Communication with God, with peers, with co-workers, family, friends, and even strangers – if we really truly, actively listen and thoughtfully respond great things will happen!

What's your favorite Strength?
Picking a favorite is difficult, as I find them all interwoven so closely.  If I have to isolate one, however, it would be Belief.  My belief is my faith and this is the absolute cornerstone of my life. 

What's the one Strength that "get's in your way?"  
I would say that a combination of Strategic and Communication can often join together in causing me to say more than I should.  I am a very honest person who, utilizing my Strategic thinking  can hear of a friend’s problems and immediately see a solution.  And due to my desire to Communicate, I will often offer my solution whether it has been solicited or not.  I do this automatically and because I truly care and want to help, however, am working on slowing my train of thought in order to discern if this advice is warranted.  

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
Knowing my Top 5 Strengths has empowered and encouraged me to become a better person.  Each of my strengths can easily be turned into a weakness if not used and cultivated properly.  I feel that knowing these strengths has challenged me to use them to their full potential in pursuit of a successful career and a joyful life. 

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For Strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

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What's your top 5?
Strategic
Learner
Positivity
Responsibility
Achiever

How do you see them playing out in your life?
I see my top 5 themes playing out directly and powerfully! I am constantly selecting the “best” course to take, adapting as necessary, making sure that it’s not just an experience, but a good one, making sure my word is my bond and checking things off the list of my day. My theme set very much keeps me in the present. I can become uncomfortable or agitated when looking too far back or too far forward. 

What's your favorite Strength?
Strategic by far! The ability to anticipate, assess and respond accordingly is a pleasure for me. Packing a trunk, coming up with a plan of action, selecting the best route up a hill on a hike or selecting the most affective words to inspire a team always fires me up. Add a little espresso, and my mind can become a veritable super computer!  That’s what I tell myself anyway.

What's the one Strength that "get's in your way?"  
Responsibility. It is often hard for me to let something go which, even in passing, I’ve agreed to. Someone else can flippantly say, “Yeah, lets meet there tomorrow at 5” and to them that can mean, maybe that will happen. But I’ll be sitting there the next day at 4:45p and thinking, “Was I supposed to meet this guy?"

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
I am certainly far more aware of when to press my advantage. I can remember prior to finding out my themes if my assessment was correct, or if I was wrong for wanting everything to be a good experience for everyone. I give myself a lot more grace now because I know the way that I lean naturally. I know it also causes me to be bold when necessary and when to allow someone else the lead because it’s not a time where my strengths are best utilized.

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

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What's your top 5?
​Beliefs, Analytical, Connectedness, Relater, Learner

How do you see them playing out in your life?
​Right now I am in the middle of transition and even though it is a wonderful transition I find myself frustrated. I am a officer in the Navy and recently found out I was medically disqualified from the nuclear pipeline. This means the direction I had thought I was heading professionally for the last five years completely shifted. I stand in awe as I watch God work in my life and stand firm in my BELIEFS that God is in control of this. My CONNECTEDNESS knows that this is not by chance, but a series of events beautifully orchestrated by our maker. However now to look at why I am frustrated, the RELATOR in me is screaming out for something to do and someone to connect with. The people I have spent the last months growing to love have continued with the busy schedule of nuclear power school, while I wait to see what God is doing. The BELIEF in me likes to live a life of value and worth. I like to help people find their purpose, but now I am in transition and waiting for the dust to settle as the ANALYTICAL piece of me carefully calculates the next move. 

What's your favorite theme?
​BELIEF. Living a life of meaning, value, worth and impacting the world makes my heart sing. Helping people find their purpose in the midst of the mundane warms my soul. It doesn't matter if I am on a warship in the middle of the ocean, an orphanage in a foreign country or sharing a cup of coffee while I catch up on the lives of one of my dear friends, I feel complete when I can pour into those around me and make their life a little bit better.  

What's the one theme that "gets in your way?"  
​ANALYTICAL. I love when I find how events or data can interrelate, but my reason and logic can bring me to a halt in life. I am a perfectionist and want to produce flawless results, so I am stuck calculating my next step to make sure it is the perfect one to take. 

How has knowing your Top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
​I always ask God to show me what gifts he has given me, however I never knew it was right in front of me. I never saw these things that come so naturally as strengths and now as I learn more about the person I am I can stand firm knowing these are my strengths. These traits are gifts from God that I must use to live a life of purpose and that purpose is to live a life infused with love and giving the glory to God.

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

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Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

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What's your top 5?
​Learner, Responsibility, Intellection, Individualization, Focus​

How do you see them playing out in your life?
​I've always known from a young age that I was fairly intellectual.  Even in middle school I found myself intrigued by philosophy, world religions, and the meaning of life.  While my friends were cooped up in their rooms reading the Harry Potter series, I was reading books like The Alchemist, Tao of Pooh, and Encyclopedia Britannica.  Fiction just never resonated with me.  I always wanted to learn about the deeper things of life and have deeper conversations.  I always felt different because I had no desire to talk about fashion or celebrities.  I sought after things yet to be discovered.  My curiosity for the new and unknown expanded throughout my college years ​as a scientific SCUBA diver and marine biologist.  My desire to learn and have intellectual stimulation was fulfilled completely by exploring the depths of the sea and seeking to understand how the creatures of the deep blue sea live.  I am focused and goal oriented in everything I do.  Whether I've been completely wrong or have a sprout of genius,  I have always taken responsibility for my work and commitments. The strength of Individualization has woven into all aspects of my life.  It means that I am strong at connecting with people one on one; I want to know what someone is excellent at, their story, what they bring to the table, and help them shine.

What's your favorite theme?
​Do I have to pick one?!  (Fine, I will).  My favorite strength is Individualization.  Nothing energizes me more than connecting with people and learning about their world.  I love taking note of the unique qualities of a person and help create a space for them to feel special and valued.


What's the one theme that "gets in your way?"  
​Learner definitely gets in my way!  Because I enjoy learning and discovering new information I can get stuck in the pattern of learning and thinking-- A LOT.  I have to make a concerted effort to ​create and execute action plans that help me apply everything that I'm learning. Thank God  being a learner is tempered with laser beam focus and a healthy weight of responsibility, or I'd end up a full-time beach bum!

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
​Knowing my top 5 has given me great insight to who I am, but APPLYING my top 5 has been an absolute game changer!​  A recent lay-off from a data entry job gave me the awakening I needed to explore how my strengths apply to life and business.  Many of the jobs I've done in the past 4 years have simply given me a paycheck but never imparted purpose.  A purpose that far exceeds my needs and overflows into the lives of other people.  I'm no longer living from a place of what can I get, but what can I give.  It is ironic how the hobbies that we "dabble" in can be indicators of what truly sets our soul on fire.  Live music has always been a part of my life but I always considered it just something for fun, simply entertainment.  Now I'm developing a live music production company called "Gems La Femmes" here in San Diego among other entrepreneurial ventures that incorporate all of my strengths.  I highly recommend people to not only take the Strengths Finder 2.0 test so they know their Top 5 but also do a coaching session with Jen Fore so you can understand how your strengths help you strategize, influence, execute, and develop relationships in your sphere of influence.  (NOTE from reCreate...thanks for the shout out Kimmie!)

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

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Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

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What's your top 5?
Futuristic, Individualization, Competition, Significance, Maximizer    

How do you see them playing out in your life?
Before I started working with my StrengthsFinder coach I never noticed the strengths I had. Now I see and use them every day, especially as a Filmmaker and Photographer. My top 5 help me fully understand my own work ethic and how to effectively use  them in my work. I can definitely see why Futuristic is my number 1 in my top 5. For someone who works with cameras all day and also works at Best Buy, I am always looking forward  to learning about and using the latest and greatest technology out there. I think that I frequently use my futuristic and maximizer strengths together while working at Best Buy to help me keep up on my product knowledge and to help my team to go above and beyond our goals. As a filmmaker and photographer, it is my goal to be as impactful and different as possible. I use competition to help push me to make my next video or photo more individualized and significant than the one before. As a whole my top five strengths along with my StrengthsFinder coach are helping me build a path for my future.

What's your favorite theme? 
My favorite theme is probably Individualization. I have always tried to be as creative and unique as possible for as long as I can remember. Today it is very apparent in my photography and video because I try to produce things that are as personalized to my clients as possible. I apply this skill to my everyday life to help separate my work from the rest.

What's the one theme that "get's in your way"?
The one theme that I believe gets in the way most often is Maximizer. Whenever I produce something, I like to make sure that it is the best that it can be and this can be extremely time consuming. I can't cut corners or half do something, I have to do it the right way which typically takes a longer time.

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
Now that I understand what my strengths are and how to apply them, it has greatly aided me in knowing what I need to do in order to get me where I want to be in life. I find ways to use my top 5 in everything that I do. It helps me be a more genuine person in and outside of work and I have notice a greater amount of assurance in my decisions for the plan that I am making for my future.



                                                    reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

Like this post?! Comment below!!!

What's your top 5?
Achiever, Connectedness, Empathy, Individualization, Input

How do you see them playing out in your life?
I see how each theme plays out in my daily life, especially as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I became increasingly aware of how I apply my strengths in my career after graduate school. It was interesting to see  how the little things that I would do unconsciously came to the forefront of my awareness. I experience each one throughout the day in my interactions with clients, friends, family, and in ministry. 

Achiever is definitely a great way to describe me as a whole. I believe that I am a highly motivated and hardworking individual. The need to have a productive day and “check” things off my list to feel accomplished certainly describes my approach to each day. I take on the busyness of the day with zeal and make it a goal to see how much I can achieve. This usually translates into an internal competition within myself to get the most out of what I am working toward. Connectedness shows through my private and professional life in the sense that I am a natural when it comes to networking. I love to bring people together for a common goal, project, or purpose. I apply this strength to bring my families together in session as well as to bring colleagues and friends together to achieve life goals. I actually find a certain level of satisfaction in watching synergy. Empathy is a big strength for me in my field. As a therapist, a primary role in my job is to empathize with the pain and struggles that my client has experienced throughout life. In many ways, empathy promotes healing and progress towards restoration. I also see how my strength of Individualization compliments my empathy. I can empathize with the pain of my client and use individualization to take a strategic approach in the next step in therapy. I seek out specific interventions that will best assist that person to move into the next phase of healing. This desire to learn new methods and seek unique treatment also leads into my final strength of Input. This one surprises me because I have always been an innately curious person but never knew the source of it. Input causes me to seek out random but often helpful information. I have found Input to create resourcefulness on the inside of me that lends itself to the benefit of my clients. 

What's your favorite theme?
My favorite them is probably connectedness. I find that I have the most joy and satisfaction out of watching how I can intuitively put the right people or pieces together. I believe that it is a great marriage between my individualization and connectedness that makes this strength so impactful. The ability to step back and understand the greater picture and then identify strategic parts to bring the vision together is a great strength for me. I apply this skill in my approach to client planning, networking, and ministry. It’s a great skill for every area! 

What's the one theme that "get's in your way"?
One theme that probably gets in the way the most often for me is Input. I often feel that I have an insatiable curiosity that has to be satisfied by reading, researching, and seeking information. This isn’t necessarily a bad skill to have but it can be distracting at time when I want to be more focused on a project or assignment. That curiosity to gather more information can stop me in my tracks. I manage to get back on track but not without using Wikipedia to answer my burning question!

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
The ability to know and apply my top 5 has allowed me to live more freely in who God created me to be and how I can use my strengths to fulfill the calling on my life. I find new ways to integrate my strengths into being a therapist and working with my clients and families. I believe that doing this allows me to be a more authentic and transparent therapist which also aids in the healing journey for my clients. I have also seen how my strengths give me a greater confidence in my daily decisions because I know who I am and what I was created to do best. I am primarily a relational person (3 of my strengths apply to relationship skills) followed by strategic skills. I enjoy living out what I was created to do and feel particularly blessed that my strengths fit so well into my line of work. Overall, I see how my strengths and awareness of my design gives me the opportunity to make strategic choices for my future and have this “best life”. 

Ashley is an Marriage and Family Therapist Registered Intern working in the San Diego community with Lighthouse Psychological Services. For more information on Ashley go to: www.lighthousepsy.com or http://secretsfromthecouch.wordpress.com

                                                    reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

Like this post?! Comment below!!!

What's your top 5?
Discipline, Maximizer, Relator, Responsibility, and Consistency

How do you see them playing out in your life?
It is amazing once I identified my Top 5 Strengths how I can see them working throughout my life.  I have always been disciplined and like things in order, which I think is my discipline and consistency.  I have several very close friends that I love being a part of their lives.  For my job I participate in conferences where I work a booth and talk to people all day.  Now I know why at the end of the day I am exhausted.  It takes a lot of energy for me to just chit chat with a lot of people, that is my relator in play.

 


What's your favorite theme?
I think my favorite theme is relator.  I really love spending time with my girlfriends and my family, investing in their lives and feeling that connection.  It really feeds my soul.  But through discovering my strengths I have found out that I am no longer willing to keep investing time, emotional energy into the lives of those that do not do the same with me. It has to be recipricol. I have a very busy life and time is very precious to me.

What's the one theme that get's in your way? 
The one strength that is constantly in overdrive is my Responsibility theme.  I tend to take too many things that are not my responsibility.  I'm constantly trying to take care of everyone and fix everything.  At the end of the day it leaves me exhausted.  I am really working on keeping this in balance.   

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
I feel much more confident in myself and what I can achieve.  I am more in tune to my behaviors, what is working in overdrive, and what I need to change.  My goal is to live a more balanced life and enjoy myself more in everything I do.

                                                    reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

Like this post?! Comment below!!!

What's your top 5?
Woo, Activator, Strategic, Communication, Ideation

How do you see them playing out in your life?
My top 5 describe what I am naturally good at and always drawn to. I am the most effective when I operate in a combination of these five strengths. Prior to doing the Strength Assessment, I obviously didn't know the name for them... but I knew I was drawn to people and to connecting with them...I have always had a lot of friends and reveled in social settings, and I was overwhelmed with joy when I could connect on a deeper level and hit a place of understanding on a personal or professional issue. Apparently, that's the Woo in me!  I have always loved to strategize and create, and also come up with ideas and put them into action. And let's face it - I always struggled with actually sitting down and cranking out the things that I so creatively dreamed up. It was uncanny how accurate the results of the tests were and put into words parts of my personality in a way that I could understand and apply them in my professional and personal life.

What's your favorite theme?
It's hard to choose... but I would say Woo and Communication. I treasure having the ability to see "beyond"...behind the surface, behind the walls that many of us put up... and using communication to help draw it out of people and brings things to light in people's lives that they may not have been aware of, and awaken traits in them that they didn't know they had! It blesses me to no end, and I feel recharged and like I am using something that comes so naturally to me to help others. Communication just helps to support this, as I am able to articulate and illustrate feelings and concepts in a way that others can understand.

What's the one theme that get's in your way?  
My Strategic and Activator combination probably gets in my way the most, followed by Woo. I think at lightening fast speeds and draw conclusions and see patterns in a myriad of data...not to mention, with the Activator, I am always ready to put it into action. I've learned (been told :) that most people may not immediately be able to see what I do. I used to get frustrated and impatient that they would not be able to draw the same conclusion or track my train of thought, but now I try to lean into my Communication skill to try to illustrate and play out scenarios and people really respond to that. 

Woo gets in my way because I would rather be interacting with people over just about anything else - it is so strong in my make - up that I can default to putting aside almost anything for human interaction.

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
This was amazing, life-changing confirmation of who I am - and that far from having a certain set of weaknesses and feeling frustrated about that - I have a unique and very powerful combination of strengths that I need to give weight and respect to. My top 5 revolve around Communication and Influence... and I would guess any execution strengths - as in actually getting the tasks I dream up done, would come towards the bottom. For a long time, I felt like something was wrong with me because in many ways, this world values implementation and execution - and visionaries are seen as maybe a bit flighty or irresponsible. 

Through this exercise I learned that it is far from the truth - without those to inspire, to visualize, to brainstorm and to create...and of course to rally the troops - there would not be anything to act upon. So I have learned to value myself and what I can bring to any given situation - and not keep myself tethered to projects where I simply cannot help and where I will hold things back. It's a huge win win for myself and for my clients and those in my life. 

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

Like this post?! Comment below!!!

Skyler McCurine is the Chief Priestess of Style at Le Red Balloon.  In her picture she is showing off her strengths using her Gallup cards and her natural ability to win a crowd at TEDx. 

What are your Top 5?
Empathy, Positivity, Futuristic, Connectedness, Individualization

How do you see them playing out in your life?
As an entrepreneur and visionary, I see my strengths infiltrate in every part of my business. As a personal stylist, I need to understand my clients on a deep and personal level. It’s important for them to feel that they can trust me and to feel uplifted, invigorated, and happy. I see my positivity and empathy when working with clients, sharing my business, and meeting with potential partners (I work with various charities and organizations in San Diego). I create a space for everyone to feel connected, joyful, and understood, haha...my strengths come to life. I am also a big picture thinker. One of my favorite pastimes is day dreaming about the possibilities of the future. I dream BIG things and futuristic is always inviting me to take risks, think bigger, and envision what my business looks like next year, in 5 years, etc.

What is your favorite theme?
Empathy. Always and forever. I believe the most important element of life is the ability to connect with others, to understand their perspective, their needs and wants. Empathy builds relationships, bridges gaps, fosters collaboration, and heals. I am so blessed to have this as my number one. It means that others are the driving force behind my decision-making.

What is the one theme that gets in your way?
Empathy. Always and forever. Yes, keep reading I promise this isn’t the same answer as the previous one. While empathy is important to connecting, it also causes me to be extremely emotional and bruise easily. When I watch documentaries about the suffering or speak with my homeless friends, sometimes I am paralyzed by emotion and concern for others. This is not a healthy use of my time, energy or empathy. The best use is for me to take action immediately, instead of being disabled by emotion! 

How has knowing your Top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
My little quirks and idiosyncrasies now have a name. They have taught me that they are indeed strengths and I do not have to sacrifice them or my values to be successful. It has taught me to recognize when I get in my own/other’s way and to be more self-aware.

To find out more about about Skyler check out her facebook page!

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

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What's your top 5?
Adaptability, Positivity, Restorative, Connectedness, Responsibility

How do you see them playing out in your life?
I see all of these characteristics and themes playing out in my life everyday as a wife and a physical therapist/trainer. However, I can specifically apply these to a recent experience where I went on a medical mission trip to Africa (where my picture was taken). 

First, It always helps to be adaptable and positive in a 3rd world country where nothing goes as planned. Secondly, I also love connecting with people and facilitating relationships by connecting others together; this was a fun part of working with the team and have already used some of those connecting skills which always energizes me. My responsibility was met with a desire to have the project run efficiently and effectively. My restorative nature played out with my desire to solve musculoskeletal problems and to see bodies restored back to greater physical comfort and efficiency.

What's your favorite theme?
My favorite theme is restorative! I love that there is a description and a definition via StrengthFinders to what I find joy in doing for others in the physical therapy field. I love trying to solve the body’s puzzle and help bring function back to someone. I however don’t think I could be effective at being a therapist or a trainer unless I had all 5 of my strengths working together!

What's the one theme that "get's in your way?"  
Can I do two? Normally adaptability would be my answer here. Usually I need more structure and focus in my life. However, in Africa, on the mission trip I found that my sense of responsibility became most frustrating. It was the first time I had went with this group on this type of mission so not understanding all the “in’s and out’s” of the project hindered my ability to take responsibility for different aspects of the project. It was difficult to want to get things done but not know how. I actually learned from strengths that if I align myself with others that share the same determination to get things done then I will have more success. By the end of the week I understood to a greater deal what would be helpful to create a more efficient environment and the responsibility side of me may have become just a little more satisfied.

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
 Knowing my top 5 has really given me direction and verbalization as to what my strengths are. In the past I have not understood how to categorize or give words to what I enjoyed or energized me. I now have a new language and guidance as to what God created me to be. It’s very eye opening and gives me confidence that I have skills that I can express to others. Even if others don’t use the strength finder language it’s easy to translate to anyone so that you can explain to anyone from a spouse to an interviewer why you may be handling situations the way you do and what you bring to the relationship. Knowing my strengths has opened up a new world for me.


                                                          reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

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What's your top 5?
Shannon: Communication, Empathy, Woo, Developer, Positivity

Jenny: Achiever, Empathy, Positivity, Connectedness, Developer

How do you see them playing out in your life?
Shannon: I work as a College Counselor and I get so much energy from interacting with my students. I try to make things personal for them and make them feel comfortable because the university system could be an intimidating for these young people. They not only use me for academic advice but also need someone to hear about the issues they are facing. I use my empathy to try and connect with people and the issues they’re going through. People who come to me need help with their career path and I love to use my Developer to provide guidance and my Positivity to help them to see all the things they may not be able to see within themselves. 

Jenny: I can see how each one of my strengths has guided me in my decisions and the current place I am in my life. My Achiever is how I am able to be efficient and get through tasks. I am the kind of person who can’t sit still and always has to be doing something productive. I  go throughout the day checking things off a list because I have to walk away each day feeling accomplished. My Empathy and Developer strongly has affected where I’ve taken my career choices in working in therapy and now as a Strengths Coach. I love to help people see their potential and give them hope for their lives! My Connectedness has helped me to see how my life can affect the greater good around me and I feel a sense of responsibility to try and make that as meaningful as possible. 

What's your favorite theme?
Shannon:  Empathy is my favorite because I love to be able to emotionally connect with people. It helps me to understand people better and have deep, meaningful relationships. I really like to connect with people’s hearts.

Jenny: My favorite theme is Positivity because it helps me to keep a perspective that sees the brighter side of situations. I try and believe the best about people and about situations that come up, even if they are more on the negative side. I'm definitely not perfect and have my moments when I wallow in the negative but somehow I can usually manage to get myself back to finding the good in people or negative circumstances. 

What's the one theme that "get's in your way?"  
Shannon: My empathy gets in my way because I can sometimes take too much time with people in my job and even on a personal level. I don’t have a lot of time on my hands being  mother of 2, but I have a hard time cutting people off when I know we’re connecting and they may need my help or an ear to listen. I love to give of myself and connect with people’s hearts but I know I sometimes need to set a limit because it gets me off track with my job and personal responsibilities. My husband knows if I take the dog for a walk I probably won’t come back for an hour because I found a neighbor to talk to! It also takes me at least an hour to say goodbye to people if I'm at a party which I think is when my Woo gets in the way. 

Jenny: The theme that can get in the way for me is Achiever. This is my number one strength and it drives me to always getting things done. And I mean always. I have a hard time turning it off! I have an inner voice that almost doesn’t allow me to feel like I’ve earned the right to relax. My Achiever drove me to work full-time, go to Grad School and do an internship all at the same time! I realize my Achiever can take me out of balance because rest is just as important as getting things done. And in fact I may get things done better if I actually rested!  I'm trying to consciously make it a point to allow myself permission to actually rest my brain. Maybe I should put resting on my list so I can cross it off. : )

How has knowing your top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
Shannon: Knowing my strengths has helped give me more confidence in who I am because I realize that these natural tendencies that I possess can be used to help others, which has always been very important to me. It has solidified for me that I am in the right career in my life advising and counseling college students. Also, on a personal level I now recognize my God-given abilities which I can better use with my family, loved ones and those I interact with daily. 

Jenny: Knowing my Top 5 has helped me to understand so much more about myself and the natural, innate ways I was created. The things I though were weird about me, I can now appreciate and even celebrate. I feel much more free to be who I am and also who I am not. I don’t try as hard to be someone that I think I should be and that is not natural for me. The hard thing about having a twin is that you are constantly compared and I've tried to be like her. I now feel free to be myself and not another version of her or anyone else I admire. I always want to improve myself but now see the value in investing into the areas that will give me the greatest results which is concentrating on my strengths.


                                                          reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

Like this post?! Comment below!!!

What are your Top 5?
Achiever, Developer, Empathy, Harmony, Discipline

How do you see them playing in your life?
I see all of my top 5 strengths playing in my daily life, but two of my strengths stick out most. I am amazed at how "spot on" my results were after learning more about each strength during our company Christmas party.  

My number one strength is Achiever. This plays out in my life in many ways. I am a hard worker and love being busy and productive. I tend to work on projects until they are complete. Sometimes I work to pure exhaustion, just to get to a place where I feel most comfortable. I feel most productive at work when I can follow and create systems and processes. When I come home, I am at peace when my surrounding environment is neat, clean and orderly.

Empathy, my third strength, brings me the greatest joy. I love being there for the ones I love the most. I am a very intuitive person. I love that I am the person everyone can come to anytime.  

 What's your favorite theme? 
My favorite strength is Empathy. I often wonder why I wasn’t a therapist or a counselor. I get the greatest joy out of being able to hear the good, bad and ugly from all of my closest friends and family. It makes my heart full when others seek my guidance. I do not judge but love whole-heartedly and only want the very best for them.   

What's the one theme that "get's in your way"?
Discipline is my fifth strength that gets in my way the most; however it is positive in my life in many ways as well.  Discipline is a negative for me when I am not in an environment or situation when I don’t have the structure and routine I am used to. I am most comfortable with the “order they create” and when I don’t have that order or structure I tend to make myself crazy by trying to gain control. After learning more about Discipline as my “strength" I have been working on trying to let things happen and not take control.  

How has knowing your Top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
Knowing my top 5 strengths has opened my eyes to why I am drawn to the situations I am. It also makes it easier to say yes and no to certain jobs and events. I can now look at these as my true strengths and not as weaknesses. Now that I have studied my strengths and have heard Sarah speak several times, I am empowered by my strengths and can use them to my advantage.

What are your Top 5?
Harmony, Focus, Consistency, Futuristic, Includer

How do you see them playing in your life?
Oh man, where do I begin?!  Since 2011, when I was first trained in this subject, my world has opened up tremendously to seeing and playing to my strengths. Going through my career as a corporate trainer, certain aspects of the job stood out more than others.  Those being coaching, creating experiences for my workshops to bring people together, and teaching about Strengths.  Once I started to deconstruct my Top 5, I started to really see that I was actually thriving most in these areas that stood out.  For example, if I deconstruct my strengths with just coaching it looks like this:
     Harmony: Coaching individuals not in conflict but in areas where they want to grow
            and become successful
    Focus & Futuristic: Partnering with clients to establish their dream life and create
            lasting goals to get there
    Consistency: I provide the same level of service for all my clients and each session has a                             particular routine due to ICF regulations (which I love!)
    Includer: I love to get people together so group coaching is amazingly fun for me

 What's your favorite theme? 
By far my favorite is Futuristic. I love dreaming of what could be and who I will be in the future. Every year I create a vision board of magazine cutouts with things, feelings, ideas, and dreams I want to accomplish throughout the year. (Ok so my Focus gets partnered a lot with my Futuristic).

What's the one theme that "get's in your way"?
Problem with dreaming all the time is that I don't live in the moment or appreciate the journey.  My Futuristic really keeps me in "what could be" all the time and with that comes tons of ideas.  These ideas sometimes are not reality because they do not match the dreams of my husband or they are so far fetched there is no way to get there without winning the lotto.  (I can dream of winning the lotto though right?!)

How has knowing your Top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
Knowing my Top 5 has really allowed me to hone in on what makes me feel strong and where I am thriving.  It has allowed me to decline offers and ideas that may sound amazing but truly are not aligned with who I am.  Being in communication with my husband about both our Top 5 have created a much more meaningful and deeper relationship.  We are able to partner more productively on things like yard work, taking care of our son and even budgeting.  I am still a work in progress, just like all of us are when it comes to this idea of focusing on strengths but what I am realizing is that when I do choose to focus on strengths, I am a living out my best self.


                                                           reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

Like this post?! Comment below!!!

What are your Top 5?
Maggie: Maximizer, Relator, Discipline, Strategic, Developer

Molly: Learner, Communication, Individualization, Includer, Arranger

How do you see them playing in your life?
Maggie: Each one of my strengths play a key role in my life. They not only help me understand what I am good at but also help me find areas of opportunity to use them. Now that I know what my top 5 strengths are, I don’t always have to focus on being good at everything. Instead I focus on what I am good at and try to use those skills to help me in other areas. They have given me more clarity of how to use my strengths in my professional life to create my dream job. They have also helped in my personal life with relationships and how I use my strengths within those relationships. I can see how I use each one of my strengths at different times each and every day. If I stick to my strengths it seems like life is a lot easier all the way around. My strengths are a great way to explain who I am. I am always maximizing every opportunity, trying to relate to everyone, disciplined in all areas, very strategic, and always developing myself.

Molly: My five strengths have definitely defined who I am and who I aspire to be. I am almost to the dissertation stage for a Doctorate in Psychology which demonstrates my learner strength. I have always had the need to learn as much as possible and challenge myself to know everything in one area before moving to another. This has driven my educational pathway and led to a career in Learning and Development where I am able to utilize my other strengths as well. Knowledge is only power if you know how and when to use it. To do this, I rely on my communication strength to help explain information to others. Furthermore, this strength has been useful in all areas of my life including my marriage. Individualizer can be seen in my perception that everyone has something to contribute to the world, no matter how small or big. Individual contributions shape my perception of others more than their affiliations. In turn, this influences my perception of the world. Going along with individualizer, I have a need to include people. My husband always says that when we go out, you never know what new best friends I’ll meet! I recall being in 4th grade and purposefully making relationships with all types of kids, even the kids no one wanted to be around. I have never had any special requirements to by my friend. Mostly, I just want to be yours! Arranger can be seen in my planning abilities. No, not daily planning but life planning. This first became apparent to me when I started planning to buy a house when I was 18 years old. I set my goal, had a plan and achieved it at age 22. I have always had a plan A, B, and C for my life direction and look to the plan when guidance is needed. My arranger strength has played a critical part in achieving my goals because I have to carefully arrange my life priorities, responsibilities, and tasks to make sure the plan is on track.

What's your favorite theme? 
Maggie: I would choose Maximizer as my favorite theme. I am always looking for ways to maximize everything in my life; either personal, professional or spiritual. I think there is so much more that I can give if I maximize each opportunity to its full potential and in return I will get more out of the situation. This has allowed me to have opportunities that I might not have had if I did not push for more.

Molly: My favorite them is Individualization. This theme shapes my interactions with others and perception of the work in so many ways. It has impacted my career and educational journey. I see this as strength because it allows me to truly see others for who they really are. Of course, I like the other ones too!

What's the one theme that "gets in your way"?
Maggie: The one theme that I always struggle with because it “gets in my way” is Discipline. I am a very disciplined person and I guess you could call me a “control freak” at times. I always like things done early and in a certain way. With any task that is given to me I have already thought 5 steps ahead before I have even started working on it. Sometimes I just get started on something without being asked to do it because I see it is something that needs to be done. This is great for me but not always for others. I can get frustrated at times if things are not in order like me because I tend to expect the same out of others and sometimes that is unrealistic. This is one theme that I am always reminding myself to stay calm, everything will be ok and work its self out.

Molly: Includer is a strength that sometimes gets in the way. If I was to paint my perfect world, everyone would get along. We don’t live in this perfect world, so sometimes I find myself forcing relationships on others. I naturally want to include everyone but not everyone wants to be included. This is something I have to remind myself of time to time. 

How has knowing your Top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
Maggie: When I first found out my top 5 strengths, I though each one described exactly who I am. This was not only in my professional life but also my personal life. I have more definition to what I am good at and as to why I am the why I am. It has allowed me to build upon my strengths and use them to my advantage. It also gives me a clearer picture to areas that I think I can be helpful with when it comes to projects. I might not be able to contribute in all areas but if I leverage my strengths, I can do a lot.

Molly: Confirmation is the biggest empowerment I have received from knowing my strengths. We all have assumptions to what makes us unique but having confirmation gives you the opportunity to maximize them in your life. In addition, it gives me a foundation and a guiding light to future endeavors.

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths.  

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here! 

Like this post?! Comment below!!! Add Comment

What are your Top 5?
Harmony, Context, Consistency, Developer, Relator

How do you see them playing in your life?
 I see my strengths at work all day, every day, but I see them the most in my relationships with people I interact with. If I meet someone new and find something in common with them, I get really excited about the conversation. I realize that is my relator strength. I also love history, and find myself looking back to my past experiences to explain and understand who I am today. That is my context strength. I love working with people who want to better themselves, and seeing people have their “ah-ha”, or breakthrough, moments. That is my developer strength, a strength I want to hone in on.

 What's your favorite theme?
It is difficult to choose a favorite because they are all important to me, but I think my favorite (at the moment at least) is harmony. It is my favorite because it has helped me deal with the shadow of harmony, which is conflict. Conflict is a part of life, and before I went through StrengthsFinders, I didn’t realize how uncomfortable I was when I had to confront someone over an issue, or be confronted. My fight or flight instinct kicks in and flight is always my instinct because I don’t want to deal with the conflict. Now that I know and understand my harmony strength, and realize why conflict is uncomfortable, I better understand how to embrace it and use my harmony strength to resolve the conflict, instead of shying away from it.

What's the one theme that "get's in your way?
Relator gets in my way a lot in social situations. I am terrible at small talk and I always feel awkward when I can’t find something in common with someone. As soon as I do find something, I latch onto it so that I have some context (another strength!) of who that person is. Once I am able to connect with them I am instantly more comfortable and enjoy the conversation. This also hinders me on a professional level when it comes to networking. I would be terrified to go into an event where I do not know anyone. I feel like I am missing out on opportunities because I am too scared that I will not be able to relate to the people I come in contact with.

How has knowing your Top 5 empowered you to live a more authentic life?
When I first saw harmony as my top strength, I was actually upset. As someone who has always been intrinsically motivated and a goal setter, I felt like my top 5 did not align with who I thought I was. But as I read the details of each strength, it was like looking into a mirror. I kept nodding my head as I was reading the descriptions, going “yep, that’s me…yeah, that sounds about right”. Once I understood my strengths and saw how they played out in my life, I felt empowered. I realized that, while I might be a goal setter and enjoy achieving these goals, I have other strengths that are more important to me, and that I enjoy more. Now I have these badges to wear that showcase my personality and help me to explain who I am.

reCreate's Strengths Mission
For strengths to come alive, we must have the opportunity to use them everyday and make them personal.  We showcase our friends, family, clients and anyone who dares to show us the personal side to their Top 5. These post are meant to encourage, inspire and connect you to having a life well-lived in strengths. 

Want to be featured?  We would love to showcase you!!!

Haven't taken Strengths yet?!  Click here!

Like this post?! Comment below!!!