Strengthiness

(h/t to Mr. Colbert Report)

While collecting steps today in the kind of heavy rain I took for granted as a kid in Georgia, I started thinking about shoring up one’s faults vs. leveraging one’s strengths.

This, by the way, is all the rage in leadership/management circles: why browbeat someone for sucking at some thing they’ve always sucked at when you could take what they’re good at and get more of that? Personal development applications abound.

I think: hence my struggle with my Habitforming project. It’s not a strength of mine, and by all observable measures, is not likely to become one. But in trying to Be A Writer, isn’t routine a critical element? Not-having habit feels like a crippling lack.

A friend of mine asked me after lunch today if I had a regular time for writing: well, no. See paragraph above. But what I do have are two streaks. Oct 2014-present: submit >1 poem to >=1 organization for possible publication. March 2016-present: blog mostly-daily, targeting  at least six days/week. The first has been truly unbroken since inception–2 years, 5 months and counting. The second took a little time to get humming, but I’m encouraged.

OK, but what’s the strength that drives that consistency? I can tell you that neither of those things happens on any habit-oriented predictable schedule…except for happening before the deadline.

I do know that, per the Gallup Strengths Finder test, my powerhouse is Strategic, Learner, Relator, Input, and Responsibility.

Hm. “Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion.” Like on a dare to myself?

An exercise for the blogger: what do these five themes together build that will make a writer’s life?

Given my Responsibility obsession, I’m not making any promises here. 🙂 That said, I’m also on Chapter 7 of 15 in That Workbook, Unlocking the Heart of the Artist. Commitment works in interesting ways!

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