self-mastery: strengthsfinder

29 Jan 2019

i’ve decided to start collecting/cataloging all the self-knowledge tools i take as i continue in my spiritual formation program this year because self-mastery (or personal knowledge mastery, as harold jarche calls it) seems like the most important mastery.

so far i know my:

• astrology natal chart (aries sun : virgo moon : aquarius rising)
• enneagram: 2 with a 1 wing
• love languages: physical touch and quality time
• emotional intelligence number: 80

and now adding to that list is this strengthsfinder structure. when i started at css, one of my onboarding tasks was to take a strengthsfinder test. my top five strengths are:

1. strategic
2. input
3. connectedness
4. relator
5. learner

at our spring 2019 staff retreat we did an exercise (shared with us by one of the css board members, sujin) where we explored the strengths of each staff person. then we individually wrote narratives about ourselves grounded in our top 5 strengths and some wildcard identities. below is an unfinished working draft of my statement and my wildcards.

wildcards: black man, queer, christian mystic, coach, introvert, healer

prompt from sujin: “what you should know about working with me…”

working draft of statement:

sometimes i think several steps ahead without even realizing i’m doing it! it comes naturally to me to listen to everyone and to not proceed until i have done so. i often keep an eye out for the one or two voices that haven’t been heard from because i believe that those (sometimes contrary) voices can contain wisdom for the whole. i love understanding the connections between everything and i fundamentally believe that all things are linked. because of that, i spend a lot of time learning; learning about myself, others, ideas, and history. i tend towards investing in individuals and the bonds between them.

as a queer black child growing up in a christian home, i learned how to use my relationship-building strengths to hide my true self. as i get older, i am learning to uncover and be who i am while also continuing to bring out the strengths and truest self of people around me.

[to be continued…]

words / writing / post-processing
330w / 10min /