At some point you have probably had some type of personality assessment. There are about 100 different flavors out there. My favorite so far is the Strengths Finder. I took this test, and it illuminated my top 5 strengths:
- Learner
- Strategic
- Achiever
- Intellection
- Ideation
Take a look at my top strength – learner. I have always loved learning new things. School has always been fairly easy to me, but this post isn’t about me, its about what you can learn from my experiences.
Since I like learning, and it comes easy for me, it is so easy for me to lose focus by the lure of another opportunity. Sometimes I find a project that looks just way too irresistible, so I take it. “I can learn so much from this,” I rationalize. Meanwhile my more strategic endeavors stall. Eventually I snap to my senses and get back on track. Sure, I’ve learned plenty on my detour, but I have lost precious time on the very accomplishments that I said were so important to me.
How to Combat The Weakness of Your Strength
When an opportunity comes your way run it through the following filters.
- How far am I willing to go down this rabbit hole?
- Can I bail out of this so called “opportunity” easily if I find it is taking me too far off track?
- What is the signal or trigger event that will tell me it is time to move on?
I’m writing this post just as much for me as I am for you. I’m going to print these three filters on a card and tape them somewhere on my dashboard so I can see them every morning as I take my kid to daycare. Following these easy to use filters will keep my confidence high and keep me on track to reaching my goals.