Strengths

Hello once again and Happy National Bike to Work Day (I really like odd holidays. If you know any, send them my way!)

The weather outside is beautiful and school days are dwindling (just two left for me). We know summer is on its way! With the end of school comes banquets, graduations, and of course, post season spring sports! Okay, that might not be so exciting for everyone, but this Saturday my softball team is taking on Worthington in section playoffs. This is noteworthy because a certain Ms. Kaylee Williamson (of Region VI President fame) will be playing for Worthington. I'm excited for the game and to see Kaylee in a whole new light.

In my last post, I promised to tell what I learned at BLAST Off. Since there was so much to learn, (it was four days long!) tonight will just be a start.

I started out my first night with a session on strengths. This session made a huge impact on me last year; I was eager to go through it again. Before the conference, each of us took an online test to identify our individual areas of strength. We used www.strengthsquest.com where anyone can take the test for a small fee. The results are a several page read out of five top "signature themes" or areas of strength. Without a test, a way to find our strengths is simply to think about those areas in which success comes easily and then think about why we succeed in them. While it was interesting to read the explanations of these themes and to discover the themes of my teammates, the truly exciting part of this session was how to use these strengths.

How often are we asked to improve on things that are difficult for us while ignoring things that we find naturally easy?

We were given the example of a report card. Pretend a student came home with an B in math and a D in English. Where should that student focus his or her time? Society has taught us to spend time on improving the D. BLAST Off tells instead to focus our time on what we are naturally good at. In this case, math. With some effort, that math grade could be an A, that student could be outstanding in math. Of course when it comes to grades at school, it is important we make sure the English grade doesn't slip lower and that we are giving our full effort and an adequate amount of time to the class. In this way, we manage our weaknesses but develop our strengths. Think of what we could accomplish if we spent most of our time working on getting better at the things we are already good at, things that come naturally to us, things we already love to do. For me, It was an eye opening experience about how I spend my time and effort. We don't have to be good at everything, but we can be great at something.



Goodnight for now, REMEMBER TO GET YOUR CAMP REGISTRATIONS IN!!!!!! Talk to your advisor or look at the state webpage. Camp is an amazing experience, I went as a sophomore and I still talk to many of the friends I made that week! Hope to see you at SGLC and SLCCL this summer!