After taking the VIA strengths inventory, I learned that my top 5 strengths are as follows:
- Humor– liking to laugh and tease; bring smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes.
- Spirituality– having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose ad meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shapes conduct and provides comfort.
- Perseverance– finishing what one starts; persevering in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks.
- Honesty– Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions.
- Zest– Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated.
I believe that this order is very accurate after having been at college for a month now and seeing how I’ve been carrying myself and the decisions I’ve been making. I would maybe put zest third, followed by honesty and then perseverance, but those are the only corrections I would make.
I think that I use employ zest everyday in my life in even just doing the smallest things. Like the other day, I really wanted a slushy and so my roommate and I hopped on the COTA bus and went to Speedway. It was honestly just such an adventure and full of so much excitement for such a seemingly little thing.
Leadership is number 11 for me and I wish that one was higher up because I do see myself as a leader in some situations.
I love the word zest as a characteristic to describe somebody, so that would have to be my favorite strength. I just love how it embodies the excitement and energy aspect of life.
Here is a picture of me living my life with zest when my rowing team decided to jump in after practice one day.