Strengths Finder

Last weekend I sat down with Tom Rath's Strengths Finder and took the assessment. Essentially, the assessment asks you a series of questions and you have to mark where you fit on each one. The assessment has 34 different themes and provides your top 5 after completing the assessment. I am not surprised at all by my top 5 themes: Harmony, Input, Responsibility, Discipline and Consistency. They all really sound like me. Here are a few key ideas about each area that I completely agree with.

Harmony: You seek areas of agreement. You don't push your views on others, you seek common ground in a group discussion, peacemaker, avoid conflict, you see the practical side of things.

Input: You are inquisitive, you like to collect trivia, probably a reader, a traveler, love playing Jeopardy, you love sharing information.

Responsibility: You take ownership of projects you're working on, you hold yourself accountable, your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should, you are hard on yourself, don't skip on quality for quantity.

Discipline: Your world is predictable, you prefer plans, you have no patience for error, you need a sense of order in everything, you keep a lot of lists, others may confuse your discipline with rigidity.

Consistency: Balance is important to you, you value equality, always give credit where it's due, you can be a leader, practice what you preach, keep the focus on your performance.

I talked to my mentor about the outcome of this assessment, and nothing surprised him. Nothing surprised me either. One thing that really struck me though was that some people do confuse my discipline with rigidity. Some people in my professional life have asked me if I ever "let my hair down." Of course I do, I just feel that I should be as professional and polished as possible when working, and I will never be that person who posts a million pictures of myself at the bar on my Facebook. I'm just not that person. But it made me realize that I probably do come off really rigid. Something to work on. I am really curious what my mother thinks about this.

Originally posted here.

101 things about me!

This is a new one! Awhile back I found a similiar post on a non-book related blog that I stumbled upon, which if I would have remembered what blog, I would have linked to it. I thought, "hey, my blog is 101 books, why not do a 101 things about me?" So here goes.

1. I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
2. Graduated from Western Michigan University.
3. Once made the Dean's List.
4. Ironically, it was the semester right after I turned 21.
5. For that, I rock :)
6. I moved to Florida in July 2006.
7. To be a nanny for 3 awesome kids, whom I still love very much!
8. I now work at the Chamber of Commerce doing marketing and research.
9. I love food. And wine.
10. And ice cream! I have a weakness for Marble Slab!
11. I have played soccer since I was 9.
12. Said sport caused me to dislocate my right thumb. (Before you say what?!, realize that I was goalie.)
13. My best friend graciously helped me with my trig homework after that! :)
14. I am stubborn.
15. I have expensive taste. Honestly, I'll walk into a store and be drawn to the most expensive thing before I even look at any prices!
16. I love to travel, but don't have nearly enough time or money to do it.
17. I love Boston - the city, the Red Sox, everything.
18. I speak Spanish.
19. I'm starting to lose it because I don't practice enough.
20. But in college, my roommate (who is latina) and I could speak it unbelievably fast while drinking. Go figure.
21. I swam in high school during my sophomore year.
22. Breast stroke. Ever tried it? Hard.
23. I love sports more than some guys I know.
24. I love Jeopardy, Scrabble and Bookworm.
25. I will be 25 this year! A quarter century!
26. I love the swings on the playground. Whenever I'm on them, I'm transplanted back to childhood.
27. I'm allergic to EVERYTHING.
28. Including my dog. And wheat.
29. I am doing immunotherapy for my allergies, so I give myself 2 shots every week.
30. I love garlic, pasta, cheese, filet mignon and avocados.
31. I love being surrounded by books.
32. I love the smell of new books!
33. And magazines.
34. I travelled to Spain for 2 weeks when I was 15.
35. It was my very first flight. (9 hours long!)
36. I watched a bullfight.
37. One day I want to attend the Tomatina in Pamplona. But not the running of the bulls.
38. I like to watch cooking shows.
39. And Jon & Kate Plus 8. That family is awesome; 8 kids?! Crazy!
40. My friends are like family to me.
41. I like to write. I wrote for my college newspaper, where I earned the News Writer of the Year Award.
42. I have one sister.
43. I am older, therefore cooler :) kidding!
44. I'm addicted to people.com.
45. And Icanhazcheezburger.com! It's hilarious!
46. I have crazy dreams when I take Benadryl (which happens semi-often. See #27.)
47. I am seriously Type-A.
48. I am often told I look like Sandra Bullock.
49. I love the beach.
50. One day I would like to attempt to surf.
51. I like to play football on the beach.
52. I played coed flag football in college.
53. I subscribe to Glamour magazine.
54. And InStyle. It's my favorite.
55. My cooking has come a long way! I once burnt taco shells.
56. I've had an extremely rare tumor surgically removed from my left heel.
57. TWICE.
58. My nickname is Kate. Or KT, depending on who I'm with.
59. My boyfriend thinks I'll go by Kate when I get older. (How old is older anyway? He says, what Katies do you know over 40? Um, Katie Couric!)
60. I think Barack Obama should be the next President. He's inspiring. Just watch.
61. I love going to Barnes & Noble.
62. On Friday nights.
63. I'm an extrovert.
64. And a networker. Or as my sister says, a socialite. (I disagree. When I hear "socialite," I think of Paris Hilton. So not me.)
65. I like to help people. Sometimes this gets me in trouble because I don't know how to say no.
66. I like to sing in the car.
67. But never in the shower.
68. I sleep with a body pillow.
69. To ease lower back pain I've had since soccer camp 12 years ago.
70. I was born 6 hours before Halloween.
71. I watch Oprah and Rachael Ray quite often.
72. But Grey's Anatomy is my favorite show.
73. Last Comic Standing is the best reality show on television!
74. My first car was a 1985 Toyota Camry.
75. I crashed it 3 months later.
76. It was NOT my fault. Seriously.
77. My first job was at Little Caesars Pizza.
78. I stayed there for 4.5 years and became Assistant Manager.
79. I was in Girl Scouts and I twirled baton as a young girl. (Can you believe it?!)
80. I had a hampster named Rascal when I was younger.
81. When he died, I buried him in the backyard in a shoebox and got a new hampster. Which I named Rascal, Jr.
82. My parents got me a dog when I was 3 years old and I named it Trixie Christine. I just figured that I had a middle name, so my dog should too.
83. I once used a crimper on my sister's Barbie's hair.
84. All the hair fell out.
85. I think monkeys are adorable. I must have 20 stuffed monkeys from childhood.
86. I don't use the Wii Fit nearly as much as I should.
87. I have a step-sister who is 13 years older than me, and a step-brother who is 11 years older than me. They have 6 kids combined.
88. Unfortunately they live in Michigan and I don't know them as well as I wish I did.
89. I have a mole on the bottom of each foot. Weird, I know.
90. I have coached 2 youth soccer teams.
91. I never got into the Harry Potter series, even though I read all the time.
92. I drive a Honda Civic - the smartest decision I've ever made, considering gas prices these days.
93. Super Target is my favorite store. It's a mile down the road.
94. I once got my mouth washed out with soap.
95. The last movie I saw in theatres was Hancock on July 4.
96. The last DVD I watched was The Life of David Gale. Highly recommend this movie, especially if you're not sure where you stand on capital punishment.
97. I have a BA in Journalism.
98. Upon graduation, the College of Arts & Sciences at WMU gave me a luggage tag.
99. I love reading USA Today in airports.
100. I check cnn.com multiple times daily.
101. I root for the New England Patriots and the Detroit Red Wings.

Anybody else wanna play?