If you have been sitting down for more than 25 minutes in a row, Step 4 in making your StrengthsFinder Top 5 life-changing for you is not only valuable, it is also good for your body.
At the beginning of my day, after I have just completed sketching out what the day holds and what needs to get done, I add a few more items—each of which is hardly “business” related but perhaps even more essential.
- Three check boxes for glasses of water (usually I stand to drink the entire glass just so I can mark it off and move to the next one because I am horrible at sipping it throughout the day)
- One check box for a cup of coffee (that’s an afternoon reward — decaf soy latte laced with chocolate chips!)
- One check box for lunch (or sometimes I forget, plus it takes time and I need “credit” for that time)
- Three check boxes for sets of squats (get the blood flowing…and suffice my Apple Watch reminder that I haven’t moved for an hour!)
- Three check boxes for sets of burpees (because I like torture?)
- One nice big check box for my Star Stretch
My “Star” is both a stretch that feeds the tight spaces of my computer-hunched posture and an attempt to bring awareness to focusing on the things that I do best.
If you have followed along with the first three steps in the 9 Steps to Life Change through your Strengths, you can now remember your StrengthsFinder Top 5 Strengths. And you can describe them using your own words, and maybe even modified those descriptions based on the reflection of others.
If you have been around for a while, you may already know that one of my very favorite word pictures for the Strengths-paradigm vs the Weakness-fixation paradigm is that of a circle vs a star. I have demonstrated it by clay, pipe cleaner, drawing, my hand, and even the joining of 5 fearless audience volunteers.
The essence of the Star is that instead of pursuing the well-rounded circle, we are most successful and engaged and energized when we pursue the shape of a star. The sharpest points are our Strengths, so the sharper we become by developing and aiming our Strengths at our work and life, the brighter and more impactful our star.
This Star Step 4 adds a kinesthetic element to your StrengthsFinder Talents that engages both sides of your brain to move toward dramatic change. I do it every day, and it is called the Star Stretch, and you can too!
Here’s how:
- Get up, off your seat and stretch your arms high and wide. Spread out your feet to match. And reach, stretch! (Feels better already, right?).
- THIS is your Star…where your head, hands, and feet are your sharpest points. (Check out the first episode of Isogo TV where I explore the concept of Circle vs Star perspectives on your life for more about the Star’s significance).
- Now, as you hold your stretch, think about your Top 5 Strengths and how you use them in your life.
- Visualize each strength holding a position in your body, according to the role it plays in your life. I like to assign one each sharp point on my star — one per hand, foot, and head. Others much more creative than I have assigned them to their hearts, face, minds…the kinesthetic canvas is yours!
In Episode 29 from the first year of Isogo TV video podcast, I walk through a visual demonstration of this Stretch concept and activity, so you can check out what a star stretch on the beach looks like.
Here are a couple examples if you still need to get your mind wrapped around it…
I assign my Achiever and Arranger to my hands because they are what people see in my work, my Learner to my head for its ability to drive my thoughts forward, and my Connectedness and Belief for the foundation in which I stand and move forward.
In a team workshop, another client reflected that her Ideation flowed from her head, her Responsibility at her feet to follow through, her Command in her eyes to show confidence, her Input at her hand to gather facts, and her Relator at her heart to connect with those closest to her.
Now you have a visual connection (you can put your arms down) to your Strengths and even a memorization device for what role they play. When you stand for your Star stretch every day, you remind yourself how to shine brightest, work most productively and access the most energy in your work and life—by sharpening those points.
{Check out the FREE 3 page fillable OR printable Checklist for a “sharp” place to record your Strengths Star stretch}
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Wherever you are on your “Strengths Journey” I want to help you! So connect with Isogo over on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn…would love to be a positive part of your life-changing story through YOUR own unique, and powerful Strengths.
Stay tuned for next week as we dive into STEP 5. Or check out the summary of Steps 1-9 in this previous blog post.
And if you’re ready for expert insights about your StrengthsFinder Top 5 that go beyond your standard report, I’ll send you my maven insights and a real story on each of your Top 5 Strengths. Would love to send them your way as you make your Strengths “work” for you.
Until next time! Be strong!
