True or False? You Can really be anything you want to be?

Posted on by Matthew Laker

“You can be anything you want to be,” was one of the cultural beliefs I remember hearing throughout my school years. Today this idea still seems to be a basic foundational belief in our culture.

The reality is this is just simple not true.building600x427

When American Idol first came out, people believed they were going to be pop stars and no one could tell them differently. It is true though, that someone could be rejected in that setting and still have the strength and talent to become a pop star, but the reality is, many could not. At the end of the day, many people still pursue a dream that does not align with their strengths.

This is a hard lesson to learn and accept in our life. At the same time just because we get a rejection, does not mean the dream is over. We need to adjust, and work out of our strengths. Working out of our strengths will give us greater opportunity.

As a follower of Jesus I see a connection to one of Jesus’ parables where there is a master who gives a certain amount of money to three individuals. The expectation is they invest it and then they can succeed with it. One person is not greater than the other, but each is given an amount based on their strengths and ability. If they accept that reality and work from it they can experience God deeper and have wholeness in their life.

Tom Rath in his book “Strengths Finder 2.0” shares “you cannot be anything you want to be — but you can be a lot more of who you already are”(Rath 8).[1]

Many people in North America work to try and hold up an identity they believe will bring them success. Many of us run after a false identity for too long. As I have watched and journeyed with others, the reality is we cannot be anything we want to be, but we can still be successful.

I believe we have God-given strengths that are unique to every person. Yes there are commonalities in people, but if we can understand our strengths and play to them, we can find success in life.

The greatest barrier to this will be accepting reality and not idolizing a dream that is false. If we work out of our God-given strengths, a wholeness can take shape.

Here are a few questions for reflection:

1. What are your strengths?

2. Based on your strengths, and assuming you fan their flame, how will this effect the direction of your life?

3. What skills are you needing to develop?

4. What is one step you can take this week to build on your strengths?

You may have a dream that is just a dream. However working out of your strengths will help you enter, engage and experience wholeness in life.

[1] Rath, Tom. StrengthFinder 2.0. Gallup Press. Kindle Edition.

My Experience with Strength Finder 2.0

Posted on by Matthew Laker

What are your strengths?

This is a question I have been asked in many different circles. What if success has more to do with focusing on your strengths? Often we focus on the areas in our life that are weakest .

During the Spring of 2015, I was entering into a season of re-evaluating and reviewing life. Then during the summer, I first heard about the book “Strength finder 2.0” by Tom Rath.

   The first part shares about the background and value of learning your strengths. Then in the second part, the big idea is that “Strengths are a combination of your talents, knowledge, and skills.”

Tom Rath shares that we are six times as likely to be engaged in our jobs if we work out of our strengths.

Through the research at https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/ they have created an assessment to help people discover their talents and turn those into strengths. They have 34 common themes.

They provide a code for you to take their assessment. When you take it, you have 20 seconds to answer the question. The reason for the speed is they are looking to identify your most intense natural responses. If you take the test they will share with you your top five strengths, based on their research. In the report they send you, you will also receive 10 best action steps you can take.

For teams this can be a useful tool as you look at how the different strengths interact. There is some advice in the book on working with people who have different strengths. The biggest take away from the book and assessment is the opportunity to pause and better understand yourself. This in turn can help you enter, experience and engage the life you were created for.

My Three take always:

1. Understanding my strengths can help give direction in my life.

2. The resource has allowed me to hit the pause button to look at who am I.

3. I am now asking: “How do I leverage these strengths for success?”

This fall (2015) I am still in the process of building off of the information I have been given. I found it a useful exercise to take the test. I hope to write more about this journey, so stay tuned.

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Here are my top five strengths and a summary of what each one means:

Harmony – People who are especially talented in the Harmony theme look for consensus.  They don’t enjoy conflict; rather they seek areas of agreement.

Learner – People who are especially talented in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve .  In particular, the process of learning, rather than outcome, excites them.

Responsibility – People who are especially talented in the responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say and what they will do.  They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty

Belief – People who are especially talented in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging.  Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

Connectedness – People who are especially talented in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things.  They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.