My Strengths: Strategic, Futuristic, Learning, Analytic, and Intellection

My top five strengths, according to the StrengthsFinders test are: strategic, futuristic, learning, analytic, and intellection. Briefly, here is what they mean.

Strategic means that I can see patterns in things and the implications of those patterns. This is not only true, it is one of my defining characteristics. I see patterns and implications everywhere. When I saw the movie A Beautiful Mind where the guy saw patterns everywhere due to schizophrenia I actually began to worry that I might be schizophrenic because I see patterns everywhere as well.

My second strength, futuristic, is also a defining characteristic. I read the future just like most people read the morning paper. I don't always get it right just as most people do not fully understand what they read in the paper. But, I am far more likely to see the future implications of a situation than the present ones.

Third, I am a learner. I love learning about new things. I am always taking on new things just so I have something new to learn about. I cannot drink a beer without learning how beer is made, who makes it, what the different kinds are and so on. I cannot watch a movie without know what other movies the director has made, what other movies the actors have been in, what other things the screenplay author has written, and what other movies may be similar or remakes.

Fourth, I am analytic. I like to see things as they are, how they work, why they work the way they do, and how they relate to other things and the way those other things work, why and so on.

Finally, my fifth strength is intellection. I enjoy intellectual activity. I have always been drawn to philosophy and pursuit of intellectual questions.

I suspect that anyone who knows me will be simply nodding as they read these. They are my defining characteristics. And they didn't come as much of a surprise to me. What did come as a surprise was that these were not things that others are necessarily good at. I thought other people were just being lazy when they did not keep up with me in these areas. I did not realize that they may have different strengths.