I consider myself a people person. There’s no one that I cannot talk to. Regardless of their age, sex, nationality, or any other unique identifier, I’ve always been able to converse with anyone who is within my bubble. Before taking the strength finder assessment, I described this ability as a byproduct of being an extrovert. Post strength finder, I am aware that I have a top talent titled, “Relator.” Gallup defines realtors as those “who are especially talented in the Relator theme [and] enjoy close relationships with others.” Realtors are people who “find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve goals.” This resonated with me upon the first read.
I believe that I’m at my best when I’m around individuals who want to make the best of their circumstances. I am aware that we all have bad days, however, I attempt to make every day count. This doesn’t mean that I’m always happy, however, I have a firm belief that the most growth comes from the most trying situations. During my undergrad, I recall my first bad grade. I wasn’t surprised to see the ”D” on my official transcript; in fact, I expected it. What made this tolerable was the fact that during the whole quarter, I was surrounded by a group of peers who also had a hard time grasping the subject. I recall visiting the professor during his office hours and asking why he decided to make the tests so hard. I also remember talking to my academic counselor and presenting her with hypothetical cases, just in case I failed the course. I most vividly remember all of the study groups trying to keep my head above the water so that I was able to at least pass the class. Although my fear almost became a reality, I was informed that most people failed the course in question and I learned that my GPA was high enough that my first and only D did not negatively impact my final overall undergrad GPA.
I love my relator talent and use this to connect with people to ease my worries. I could have asked to drop the course and start over to try to make a better grade, but I didn’t. Instead, I used the relationships within the university to make the prospects of a lousy grade easier to handle. In the end, that one D has never hindered my personal or professional growth. I continue to fully embrace the power of making the day count. Today I will attempt to relate to as many people as possible.
Credit: James D. Washington
James D. Washington 