Strengths Finder 2.0

My Top 5 Strengths, according to Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath.

Strategic

“The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, ‘What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?’ This reoccurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path – your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: ‘What if?’ Select. Strike.”

Futuristic

“’Wouldn’t it be great if...’ You are the kind of person who loves to peer over the horizon. The future fascinates you. As if it were projected on the wall, you see the detail what the future might hold, and this detailed picture keeps pulling you forward, into tomorrow. While the exact content of the picture will depend on your other strenghts and interests – a better product, a better team, a better life, or a better world – it will always be inspirational to you. You are a dreamer who sees visions of what could be and who cherishes those visions. When the present proves too frustrating and the people around you too pragmatic, you conjure up your visions of the future. They want a picture that can raise their sights and thereby their spirits. You can paint it for them. Practice. Choose your words carefully. Make the picture as vivid as possible. People will want to latch on to the hope you bring.”

Empathy

“You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though theif feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with each person’s perspective. You do not necessarily feel pitty for each person’s predicament – this would be sympathy, not Empathy. You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand. This instinctive ability to understand is powerful. You hear the unvoiced questions. You anticipate the need. Where others grapple for words, you seem to find the right words and the right tone. You help people find the right phrases to express their feelings – to themselves as well as to others. You help them give voice to their emotional life. For all these reasons other people are drawn to you.”

Maximizer

“Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more thrilling. Strengths, whether yours or someone else’s, fascinate you. Like a diver after pearls, you search them out, watching for the telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored excellence, rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps – all these are clues that a strength may be in play. And having found a strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it, and stretch it toward excellence. You polish the pearl until it shines. This natural sorting of strengths means that others see you as discriminating. You choose to spend time with people who appreciate your particular strengths. Likewise, you are attracted to others who seem to have found and cultivated their own strengths. You tend to avoid those who want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don’t want to spend your life bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on the gifts with which you are blessed. It’s more fun. It’s more productive. And, counterintuitively, it is more demanding.”

Communication

“You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. This is your Communication theme at work. Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid. And so you turn events into stories and practice telling them. You take the dry idea and enliven it with images and examples and metaphors. You believe that most people have a very short attention span. They are bombarded by information, but very little of it survives. You want your information – whether an idea, an event, a product’s features and benefits, a discovery, or a lesson – to survive. You want to divert their attention toward you and then capture it, lock it in. This is what drives your hunt for the perfect phrase. This is what draws you toward dramatic words and powerful word combinations. This is why people like to listen to you. Your word pictures pique their interest, sharpen their world, and inspire them to act.”

Passion Works

Passion Works Studio, located in Athens, Ohio, is an art studio which provides an atmosphere of collaboration between artists with and without developmental disabilities. Founded in 1998, their website features a variety of artwork, including jewelry, ornaments, flowers, and greeting cards. The studio provides means for gainful employment for approximately 40 artists with disabilities. Among the items for sale on the studio's website, my favorite is the "Passion Flower" (pictured left).

In my opinion, the studio represents the basic essence of OT. I can't believe an OT isn't behind the whole operation. I mean, their vision statement alone SCREAMS OT.

"To create and live out a best practice model for collaborative art making between artists with and without developmental disabilities. This new mind set demonstrates that creativity is innately a part of all people and recognized that art enhances the quality of life and strengthens communities."

Next semester, we are required to take a grant-writing class. Last year, students in this course wrote a grant for a local business, won the grant, and made a job for herself with the funds. How amazing would it be if I could pull that off for Passion Works! Art + OT = my dream job! I need to do more research on what types of grants are available, and maybe take a trip to passion works to see if there is a need for OT services. The wheels are turning... and it's all because of this book we are reading for our leadership class, The Element by Ken Robinson. I'll post my writings on the book at a later date, but I'll give you the nutshell version real quick: A person's "element," is the place where "natural aptitude" meets "personal passion." Basically, you will be the happiest doing what you are good at and what you love to do. Not one or the other, but both.

Check out the Passion Works website by clicking on the title of my blog above. Pretty amazing stuff.

Multiple Sclerosis Research

In a desperate attempt to find people to participate in our aquatic therapy study, my research group called the local newspaper to find out about advertising prices. To our surprise, they wanted to do a story on us! We were featured in last Sunday's issue of the Portsmouth Daily Times. I am typing the article here because it is not yet available online.

Students Seek People with MS for Aquatic Study

Five graduate students at Shawnee State University are looking for participants to help them complete a 12-week study of multiple sclerosis patients and aquatic exercises.

Each year, students enrolled in the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program at Shawnee complete a study of MS patients under the guidance of Associate Professor Ed Kehres. This year's team is Jessica Holbrook, Amanda Hill, Aaron Brooks, Brittany Wolf, and Sarah Conetsco, and their study focuses on the use of aquatic therapy.

"According to the research, fatigue is probably one of the most commonly reported symptoms with MS. Research has shown that exercise, aerobic or strength training, has shown to help reduce fatigue a little bit. So we want to see if we do it in the pool, will it make it a little easier," Brooks said.

The participants are divided into two groups - one group that participates in the aquatic exercises and a controlled group who did not participate in the exercises.

"Being in the water helps a lot because you're pretty much weightless in the water. People who can't walk on land can walk in the water. Some people with severe MS are in wheelchairs, and it's just another way to get them to move around and do more exercise," Wolf said.

The first six weeks of the study will be used to establish a baseline of each participating patient. The second six weeks will monitor physical changes in patients participating in the exercise group. The findings of this study will be submitted for publication.

In the spring, the group was awarded $5,000 from the SSU Research and Study grant to assist their project. They were given an additional $1,000 from the Student Undergraduate Research grant.

"It's like start-up money for research projects," Kehres said.

THe MOT is one of the growing number of graduate programs now offered at Shawnee State University. Brooks, Wolf, and Conetsco each came to the program from other cities across the state.

"I'm from Mansfield. I went to Ohio State to do my undergrad. So coming from a big school down here, it's really nice finally getting one-on-one attention from faculty," Wolf said.

Kehres said the program offers a unique experience for students that allows them to closely interact with their faculty and other departments.

Anyone with MS - and living within 30 miles of Portsmouth - who is interested in participating in the study should contact Ed Kehres at (740) 351-3473 before Sept. 30. Participants will be supplied with free support group meeting, free "easy on/off" bathing suit, free aqua shoes, free exercise twice a week, and the possibility for lessened fatigue and improved quality of life.