Hopeless in the Face of the Challenge,

¶ … hopeless in the face of the challenge, forgetting that all people have assets to help them deal with the challenges of everyday life. The goal of a personal strength and asset survey is to help make a person consciously aware of personal strengths and assets so that, when a challenging situation does arise, the person already knows the strengths and abilities that he or she possesses that will help him or her deal with the challenge. Therefore, my goal in conducting an assessment of my personal strengths and assets is to identify my strengths and assets, identify potential future challenges, prepare for future challenges, determine which of my strengths and assets would be appropriate when dealing with specific future challenges.

Assets and Strengths

There are several different objective ways to determine personal strengths, and these methods are important because a person's own perception about personal strengths may not reflect the reality. In many ways, people underestimate their own strengths and assets. Using three objective tools, I was able to determine my strengths. I used the Values in Action (VIA) Signature Strengths assessment tool, the Gallup Strengths Quest Profile, and another online tool to help me identify my strengths.

Using the VIA assessment tool, I identified my five signature strengths as curiosity, vitality, social intelligence, citizenship, and humor. To me, curiosity means that I take an interest in learning for the sake of learning (Thoren, Unk.). Vitality refers to approaching things with excitement and giving my all to every endeavor (Thoren, Unk.). Social intelligence suggests that I am adept at understanding others (Thoren, Unk.). Citizenship refers to the fact that I am loyal to the group and work well in a group setting (Thoren, Unk.). Finally, humor means that I am able to laugh, tease, joke, and see the lighter side of even serious scenarios (Thoren, Unk.)

Using the Gallup Strengths Quest Profile, I identified the following top five strengths: activator, connectedness, empathy, futuristic, and maximize. As an activator, I strive to put things out there and get things started (Gallup, 2007). Connectedness refers to the idea that I am aware that I am part of a larger group and that my individual actions impact others and I am impacted by others (Gallup, 2007). Empathy means that I am in tune with other emotions, but also that I am impacted by those emotions (Gallup, 2007). Futuristic means that I like to look forward and plan for what is developing (Gallup, 2007). Finally, maximize refers to the fact that I like to excel and to surround myself with others who like to excel (Gallup, 2007).

Finally, I took the University of Pennsylvania's Authentic Happiness strengths indicator test. It identified the following as my top five strengths: love of learning, leadership, gratitude, hope, and social intelligence. Love of learning refers to the fact that I like learning for the sake of learning and enjoy school (University of Pennsylvania, 2006). Leadership means that I make a good leader and have good organizational skills (University of Pennsylvania, 2006). Gratitude refers to the fact that I am aware of the good things in my life and do not take them for granted (University of Pennsylvania, 2006). Hope refers to the fact that I expect the future to bring me the best and I am willing to work to achieve that future (University of Pennsylvania, 2006). Finally, social intelligence refers to the idea that I understand other people and know how to interact with them in a comfortable and comforting manner (University of Pennsylvania, 2006).

Obviously, there is a significant amount of overlap in the strengths and weaknesses identified by the three different assessment tools. They all point to the fact that I love learning. They also highlight the fact that I am a social person. Not only do I understand others well, but I like to work in a group and towards group goals. However, each of the tests also served to highlight different areas of strength so that, when taken as a whole, they present an accurate picture of my strongest assets.

Likely Challenges

As a college student, I expect to have the normal college student challenges. Those challenges include making sure I have my assignments completed on time, writing papers, taking tests, doing homework, dealing with a roommate, dealing with the social pressures that come with college such as drinking, sex, and homesickness. However, I also have challenges that are not linked to my role as a college student. I have several elderly family members who are not in the best of health and I anticipate that, within the coming year, I will be dealing with further declines in their health and possibly even a death. While I am not in a caretaker role to any of them, I know that will provide stress. I also work in a part-time job, and I have to deal with a boss who is occasionally irrational and juggle my work, school, and social schedules.

PERMA Challenges