My weakness is a strength?!?!?

I need to head to bed but I have to write first.  I'm nearly giddy right now.  I finished my Strength Finders assessment earlier and read about my 5 strengths.  My number one strength is something that I have always viewed as a weakness.  Are you ready for this?  My number one strength is.....

ADAPTABILITY

When I had my "look forward" meeting with my boss (goal setting for the upcoming work year), I agonized for hours to try to complete it.  I have always dreaded goal setting time and finally after many hours and many tears I gave up and turned in my form for the meeting, incomplete.

My boss and I talked out the goals, it was just easier.  She asked me at one point why goal setting caused me such anxiety.  I really don't know.  It has been something that I've been asked by many, usually with criticism.  I'm in Customer Service with a non-profit organization.  Finally I came to these words:

This is what makes me good at what I do.  I don't plan what I'm going to say because I never know what question I will be asked.  I go with the flow rather than plan ahead and that is why I'm good at my job.

I'm not sure where those words came from but tonight they were confirmed.  Living in the moment and struggling to be goal oriented is a strength not a weakness!  Listen to a few of the things I read about adaptability tonight.

• You don't see the future as a fixed destination. Instead you see it as a place that you create out of the choices that you make right now.  You discover your future one choice at a time.
• You don't resent unforeseen detours.  You expect them and on some level actually look forward to them.
• Avoid roles that demand structure and predictability.  These roles will quickly frustrate you, make you feel inadequate, and stifle your independence.
• Look to others for planning.  People who have strong Focus, Strategic, or Belief talents can help you shape your long-term goals, leaving you to excel at dealing with the day-to-day variations.
• Seek roles in which success depends on responding to constantly changing circumstances.  Consider career areas such as journalism, live television production, emergency healthcare, and CUSTOMER SERVICE.
• This person will be most productive on short term assignments that require immediate action.
• This person's willingness to go with the flow provides a wonderful environment for others to experiment and learn.

This describes me to a tee.  I love lists.  I love crossing things off of my lists.  I hate having a scheduled time in which to cross each thing off.  I hate anything more than a "general goal" of the future.  My goals tend to be loose, things like read more.  I don't specify a certain number of books to read.  Not all knowledge comes from books.  Sometimes reading more means reading blogs or news stories.  Reading more seems like a perfectly acceptable goal for a new year while to others it is too general and therefore not a true goal.

The long and short of it is exactly what I told my boss last month.  I am good at my job because I am adaptable.  I go with the flow because that is how God intricately designed me.  He knew me before one of my days came to be.  And He created me exactly how He intended, to be adaptable.  Structure is good.  If everyone had this strength, the world would be chaos.  But this strength brings balance to a driven world that forgets that life sometimes interrupts.