STRENGTHS PROJECT BY SAMANTHA POWELL

THERE ONCE WAS A GIRL NAMED SAMANTHA WHO

HAD A PLAN FOR HER LIFE.

LIFE HAPPENED…

SAMANTHA DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL.

WHEN SAMANTHA STARTED SCHOOL, SHE ANSWERED A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT

HERSELF AND COMPLETED A “DO WHAT YOU ARE REPORT.” FROM THE REPORT SHE FOUND OUT HER PERSONALITY TYPE WAS

INFP. SHE WAS INTROVERSION(I): SHE NEEDED TIME ALONE TO RECUPERATE, SHE DIDN’T ALWAYS NEED TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AND LISTENED MORE THAN SHE TALKED. INTUITION(N): SHE NEEDED TO FIGURE OUT SOLUTIONS ON HER OWN,

VALUED IMAGINATION AND INSPIRATION AND ENJOYED LEARNING NEW SKILLS.

FEELING(F): SHE WAS MOTIVATED IN WORK BY APPRECIATION, THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO BE TACTFUL WHEN BEING

TRUTHFUL, AND DID LIKE TO PLEASE OTHERS. PERCEIVING(P): SHE CHANGED

HER GOALS WHEN NEW INFORMATION BECAME AVAILABLE, BELIEVED NOTHING WAS SET IN STONE AND THAT ALL IDEAS

COULD LEAD TO OTHERS.

SHE WAS ALSO TOLD SHE HAD TO TAKE A TEST.

SAMANTHA HATES TESTS!

THIS TEST WASN’T A NORMAL TEST. IT WAS A

STRENGTHS TEST!

SAMANTHA THOUGHT… WHY DO I NEED TO TAKE THIS? I ALREADY KNOW WHAT I’M GOOD AT!

WHEN THE TEST CAME BACK, SAMANTHA DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT; BUT, SHE WAS VERY

CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT HER STRENGTHS WERE.

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SAMANTHA LEARNED HER TOP 5 STRENGTHS.

STRATEGICIDEATIONPOSITIVITYMAXIMIZERADAPTABILITY

SHE WAS CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT HER STRENGTHS SAID ABOUT HER.

“YOU CAN ALWAYS LEARN

SOMETHING NEW,” SHE THOUGHT.

SAMANTHA’S FIRST STRENGTH WAS STRATEGICACCORDING TO GALLOP, “PEOPLE

ESPECIALLY TALENTED IN THE STRATEGIC THEEM CREATE

ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO PROCEED. FACED WITH ANY GIVEN SCENARIO,

TEY CAN QUICKLY SPOT TE RELEVANT PATTERNS AND ISSUES.”IDEATION WAS HER SECOND STRENGTH

“PEOPLE ESPECIALLY TALLENTED IN THE IDEATION THEME ARE FASICINATED

BY IDEAS. THEY ARE ABLE TO FIND CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SEEMINGLY

DIPAATE PHENOMENA,” ACCORDING TO GALLOP.

THE THIRD STRENGTH ISPOSITIVITY

GALLOP SAYS, “ PEOPLE

ESPECIALLY TALENTED IN

THE POSITIVITY

THEME HAVE AN

ENTHUSISM THAT IS

CONTAGIOUS. THEY ARE

UPBEAT AND CAN GET OTHERS EXCITED

ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO

DO.”

HER FOURTH STRENGTH MAXIMIZER

AND, ADAPTABILITY WAS HER FIFTH STRENGTH

ACCORDING TO GALLOP, “PEOPLE ESPECIALLY TALENTED IN THE MAXIMIZER

THEME FOCUS ON STRENGTHS AS A WAY TO STIMULATE PERSONAL AND GROUP

ECELLENCE. THEY SEE TO TRANSFORM SOMETHINGESPECIALLY TALENTED INTO

SOMEHINT SUPERB.”

GALLOP SAYS, “PEOPLE ESPECIALLY TALENTED IN THE ADAPTABILITY THEME

PREFER TO ‘GO WITH THE FOW.’ THEY TEND TO BE ‘NOW’ PEOPLE WHO TAKE THINGS AS

THEY COME AND DISCOVER THE FUTURE ONE DAY AT A TIME.

AFTER READING ABOUT HER STRENGTHS AND FINISHING HER DO WHAT YOU ARE, SAMANTHA

THOUGHT THAT SHE HAD MANY CHARACTERISTICS THAT FIT INTO EACH OF THESE TRAITS

StrengthsResult

s

SAMANTHA MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER

STRENGTHS. SAMANTHA WAS EXCITED TO TALK WITH KIM AND LEARN MORE. AT THE APPOINTMENT KIM EXPLAINTED

THE STENGTHS IN MORE DETAIL.

WITH THE HELP OF KIM, SAMANTHA WENT THROUGH EACH STRENGTH AND PICKED OUT

TRAITS OF HERSELF THAT SHE BELONG TO EACH PARTICULAR STRENGTH.

KVCCSTUDENT SUCCESS

CENTER

WHEN IT CAME TO THE STRENGTH STRATEGIC, KIM HELPED SAMANTHA REALIZE SHE HAD MANY TRAITS THAT FIT PERFECTLY. SAMANTHA ENJOYS

FINDING DIFFERENT WAYS TO UNDERSTAND AND DO THINGS. SHE CONSIDERED HERSELF TO ALWAYS LOOK FOR DIFFERENT PATHS TO DO THINGS AND BELIEVED THAT THERE WERE MANY WAYS TO DO THINGS. KIM HELPED HER REALIZE SHE

DID THIS MANY TIMES AT PREVIOUS JOBS WORKING WITH CHILDREN.

THE ONE EXAMPLE THAT STOOD OUT TO SAMANTHA WAS WHEN SHE WAS TEACHING MATH TO AN 8 YEAR OLD. SAMANTHA’S STUDENT COULDN’T FIGURE OUT A PROBLEM. SAMANTHA, ALSO WASN’T VERY GOOD AT MATH. SHE ALWAYS HAD TO FIGURE OUT A DIFFERENT WAY TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM. SAMANTHA TAUGHT THE STUDENT,

WHO WAS BROUGHT TO TEARS WITH FRUSTRATION, ONE OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THE MATH. SAMANTHA’S STUDENT UNDERSTOOD THIS DIFFERENT TECHNIQUE

AND HER TEARS TURNED FROM FRUSTRATION TO HAPPINESS!

WITH THE HELP OF KIM, SAMANTHA UNDERSTOOD HOW MUCH IDEATION WAS LIKE HER. SHE LOVES IDEAS AND LOVES COMING UP WITH THEM. EVERYTIME SHE THINKS OF SOMETHING HER MIND TAKES HER TO OTHER IDEAS THAT ARE RELATED. SHE LOVES BEING CREATIVE AND BEING THE “CREATIVE” FRIEND.

ONE OF SAMANTHA’S FAVORITE PARTS OF HER PREVIOUS JOBS WAS THE CREATIVE ASPECT. SHE LOVED CREATING ART PROJECTS THAT WERE ASSOCIATED

WITH WHAT THEY WERE STUDYING. SHE WAS ALWAYS BIG ON HANDS ON LEARNING. SHE LOVED CREATING CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS AS WELL!

HERE KIM EXPLAINED TO HER THAT HER STRATEGIC AND IDEATION WERE CONNECTED. SHE USED HER IDEATION TO THINK OF AN IDEA AND STRATEGIC TO

FIND THE BEST WAY TO CARRY OUT THE PLAN.

KIM AND SAMANTHA DISCUSSED HER POSITIVITY STRENGTH NEXT. THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW GENEROUS SHE CAN BE WITH PRAISE AND ENCOURAGEMENT, HOW SHE’S ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE

SILVER LINING AND LOOKING FOR THE POSITIVE SIDE. THEY ACTUALLY BOTH AGREED HOW DRAINING NEGATIVE PEOPLE ARE!

SAMANTHA EXPLAINED HOW SHE ALWAYS TRIED TO LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN ALL OF HER STUDENTS. SHE BELIEVED

THAT EVEN THE “NAUGHTY” ONES DESERVED SOMEONE TO CARE. SHE WAS BIG ON GREETING EACH STUDENT WITH A

SMILE AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE NO MATTER WHAT.

MAXIMIZER WAS ONE THAT SAMANTHA WASN’T TOO SURE ABOUT. SHE LIKED TO FIND THE GOOD IN OTHERS, HOWEVER, SHE WASN’T

TOO OVERLY PARTICULAR ABOUT THINGS. SAMANTHA WAS VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT KIM HAD TO SAY ABOUT THIS THEME.

KIM EXPLAINED TO SAMANTHA THAT EACH STRENGTH RELATED TO EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY AND WE USE OUR STRENGTH IN OUR OWN WAYS. KIM EXPLAINED THAT SAMANTHA’S MAXIMIZER STRENGTH TIED INTO HER OTHER STRENGTHS, ESPECIALLY POSITIVITY. SHE ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO DO THEIR BEST. THE

DOES HER BEST TO RECOGNIZE OTHERS STRENGTHS HAND HELP THEM REACH THEIR POTENTIAL. AND SHE AVOIDS THOSE WHO WANT TO “FIX” HER.

KIM AND SAMANTHA TALK ABOUT ADAPTABILITY LAST. KIM TALKED ABOUT HOW SAMANTHA’S STRATEGIC AND ADAPTABILITY STRENGTHS WORKED WELL TOGETHER. SAMANTHA ENJOYS WHEN THINGS AREN’T THE SAME DAY TO DAY.

HOWEVER SHE DOES LIKE TO BE ABLE TO PLAN FOR THESE CHANGES. THE CHANGES CAN BE FRUSTRATING AT FIRST BUT DON’T RUIN HER DAY. SHE JUST

NEEDS TO TAKE A MOMENT TO FIGURE OUT THE BIGGER PICTURE.

SAMANTHA NOTICED HER ADAPTABILITY STRENGTH PLENTY IN HER PAST JOBS AS WELL. ITS ALWAYS BEEN VERY IMPORTANT FOR SAMANTHA TO HAVE ADAPTABLY WHILE WORKING WITH KIDS.

SAMANTHA HAD TO CHANGE HER PLANS AND/OR ROUTINES MORE TIMES THAN SHE COULD THINK OF. NOTHING IS EVER PREDICTABLE

WHEN WORKING WITH CHILDREN!

SAMANTHA WAS VERY THANKFUL FOR KIM’S TIME. SHE TOOK HER NEW KNOWLEDGE THAT SHE HAD GAINED AND HER “DO WHAT YOU ARE” REPORT, THAT SHE HAD DONE EARLIER IN CLASS, AND WENT TO PLAN HER LIFE AGAIN.

SHE TOOK WHAT SHE KNEW FROM HER DO WHAT YOU ARE REPORT

AND STRENGTHS TEST TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND HOW SHE LEARNED AND PERFORMED BEST. SHE NEW SHE NEEDED AN ENVIRONMENT

WHERE SHE WAS ALLOWED TO BE CREATIVE AND WHERE THE DAILY

ROUTINE WASN’T THE SAME BORING THING EVERYDAY. SHE ALSO NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO

MAKE MISTAKES. SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT SHE DOES HER BEST BY DOING THINGS HERSELF AND BY MAKING MISTAKES. SHE NEEDED TO BE AROUND PEOPLE WITH A POSITIVE ATTITUDE JUST

LIKE HERS.

SAMANTHA ALSO TOOK WHAT SHE KNEW AND FOCUSED ON WHAT SHE WANTED TO BE WHEN SHE

“GREW UP.” SHE WANTED TO BE IN A CAREER WHERE SHE COULD BE

CREATIVE AND HELP OTHERS. HER STRENGTHS TAUGHT HER THAT SHE WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR

THE GOOD IN OTHERS. SAMANTHA ALWAYS WANTED TO WORK WITH CHILDREN BUT NOW THOUGHT

THAT SHE WANTED TO WORK WITH ADULTS AND FAMILIES AS WELL.

SHE CHANGED HER CAREER GOAL FROM TEACHING TO FAMILY AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT THROUGH

WMU. SHE WANTED TO HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO WORK HELPING

FAMILIES PREFERABLY THROUGH A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

SAMANTHA ALSO REALIZED WHAT WAS MOST IMPORTANT

TO HER WAS BEING HAPPY.

SAMANTHA KNEW THAT EVEN IF SHE GRADUATED AND GOT HER DREAM JOB NONE OF IT WOULD MATTER IF SHE WASN’T HAPPY. SHE WAS VERY THANKFUL FOR HER

DO WHAT YOU ARE REPORT AND STRENGTHS TEST. THEY TAUGHT HER WHAT KIND OF A PERSON SHE WAS. THEY TAUGHT HER WHAT MAKES HER HAPPY AND WHAT

MAKES HER THRIVE. THE STRENGTHS WERE IMPORTANT TO LEARN BECAUSE THEY HELPED HER UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO WITH HER LIFE AND WHAT

TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT WORKS BEST FOR HER .

ACCORDING TO DAN GILBERT, WE CONTROL 40% OF OUR OWN

HAPPINESS (FRANDORF.COM). THAT’S A LARGE AMOUNT. KNOWING WHAT TYPE OF LEARNER YOU ARE AND

WHAT KIND OF ENVIRONMENT THAT IS BEST FOR YOU IS A GREAT WAY TO ENFORCE A HAPPY LIFE. IT IS A GREAT WAY TO TAKE CONTROL OF

YOUR LIFE.

AND WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO BE HAPPY. ALONG WITH FOCUSING ON

STRENGTHS UNDERSTANDING SELIGMAN’S PERMA MODEL:

POSITIVE EMOTIONS (P) WE NEED TO ENCOUTER HAPPY AND

POSITIVE EMOTIONS IN OUR LIFE ENGAGEMENT (E)

WE NEED TO FEEL ENGAGED IN OUR CAREER AND/OR HOBBIES

POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS (R) WE NEED TO HAVE ENCOURAGEMENT

FROM OTHERS AND STRONG SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS

MEANING (M) WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT WE DO WELL IN

LIFE (OUR STRENGTHS) ACCOMPLISHMENT (A)

WE NEED TO HAVE A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

BY KNOWING AND FOCUSING ON ALL FIVE OF THE ABOVE, WE CAN ONLY FLOURISH IN LIFE.

PERMA GIVES US AN IDEA ON WHERE TO START TO SUSTAIN A HAPPY AND GREAT LIFE.

(www.mindtools.com)

EVERYONE LEARNS AND THRIVES BEST IN DIFFERENT

ENVIRONMENTS. NO TWO PEOPLE ARE THE SAME. DIFFERENT

THINGS MAKE DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAPPY. JUST LIKE IN THE DOCUMENTARY “HAPPY.”

HAPPINESS LETS US GROW POSITIVELY, LIVE LONGER, AND

IMPACTS OUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING. IT’S AS SIMPLE AS, IF WE

KNOW WHAT MAKES US HAPPY, WE WILL BE HAPPIER IN LIFE. WE’LL

HAVE IMPROVED IMMUNE FUNCTION, LIVE LONGER AND BE

MORE PRODUCTIVE IN LIFE. KNOWING WHAT OUR STRENGTHS

IS A BUILDING BLOCK TO KNOWING WHAT MAKES US HAPPY.