What Makes You, You? 042

Welcome to episode 42 of Your Encore Life. In this episode I will continue our discussion from the last few weeks on self assessments and how they can help at any stage of life, especially in your encore.  I will talk a bit about my personal Cliftonstrengths results and a bit about the Enneagram, which I took recently through my coach Mark Ross as a basis for going through the Real Life Process to help me manage my priorities more effectively. I have included links to learn more about the Enneagram and the Reallife Process, as well as a link to Mark Ross's business "Next Thing Group" and the Gallup CliftonStrengths Assessment web page.

Let's start with my top 5 talents from the CliftonStrengths assessment.  I will share these with you not so you can learn more about me, but so you can get an idea of what this assessment is like and how it can help you learn more about yourself. Don't try to learn what I am telling you here.  There is a wealth of information on the websites that I have provided links to, just listen to this 1000 foot view so you can get a picture of what these assessments can tell you about yourself. My top 5 talents are:

1. Belief
2. Responsibility
3. Connectedness
4. Relator
5. Developer

Stick with me as I read the descriptions of each of these talents…..

Each of the 34 talents has a description of what characteristics are present in mature and raw form.  If you recognize that one or some of the raw characteristics describes you, you can focus on how to move that characteristic from its raw form to a more mature and productive form.  The mature and raw characteristics of my top 5 are…..

You can see the wealth of very highly researched information you can gather that will give you much clearer insights about yourself.

Now let me give you my Enneagram type and see how there is a relationship between it and my top 5 talents.  My core style is 2, with my neighboring auxiliary style of 1.  In stressful situations is 8.  So what does all that tell me?

My core style of 2 is described as the following….

My preferred wing style of 1 is described as the following…

What my core style of 2 may find easy to do is……

What my core style of 2 may find difficult to do is…..

I hope this walk through my assessments has been helpful for you to see how they can help you to learn more about yourself and help to guide you to be your most and best productive self, to live in your "Zone of Genius", which we will discuss in a later episode, and to live your best encore life. Notice how I said help to guide you, not define you.

1 Peter 4:10-11:  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

• Soar With Your Strengths, Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson
• Gallup Clifton Strengths Assessment 
• Wagner Enneagram Personality Style Scales
• Reallife Process: Teresa McCloy
• Next Thing Group: Mark Ross
• Contact Craig