Uh, it’s 3 a.m. and today (yesterday) has just been a day of working on what I can do to be better. I spent time really combining my strengths with the areas I need to improve. Back when I was in the MBA program, one of the few things I got from it was all the assessments we had to take. A lot of them were focused on finding my strengths, and the one I’ve been working with the most is the last one I did—the CliftonStrengths assessment. Hold up… Where is that book? It’s too late to go on a hunt for it now, but I’m sure I can find a link to it and put it in this blog, so y’all can get what I’m talking about.
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/253850/cliftonstrengths-for-individuals.aspxhttps://in.flow.club/h/cj?inviteCode=charity985
What I like about this assessment is that it focuses on building on what you’re already good at. I’ve spent a lot of time in spaces where I wasn’t thriving, often misunderstood or people making assumptions about me, and I didn’t really have the words to express who I am. I’m aware of the challenges I’ve faced, but I haven’t always understood how to navigate them in ways that work for me.
Even though I should be in bed right now, I’m grateful for these pockets of time where I can focus on improving and using the resources available to me. I’ve been brainstorming, and it feels good. My strengths, according to CliftonStrengths, are Belief, Adaptability, Futuristic, Deliberative, and Relator. I’ll put the link here in case you want to take the assessment too because I think it’s pretty insightful.
I’ve been using ChatGPT to help me merge my strengths with the challenges I face and create checklists for myself. I also started working on the blog series I mentioned a while back, Facing My Fears. One of the main topics I’m tackling is finances—facing bills, getting organized, and just dealing with it. This morning, I started doing that, and honestly, it wasn’t as challenging as I thought it’d be. I used Notion to lay out my bills for the month, calculated everything, and even set up reminders. Notion definitely has a learning curve, though. I accidentally deleted something and had to figure out how to get it back. Thank God I did!
I’ve been formatting things, pulling from my strengths, and leveraging my existing skills in writing. When I was in undergrad studying creative writing, my favorite class wasn’t even a writing class—it was an English class. It was during the pandemic, and the professor, John (if I remember correctly), had a really good system. I still have notes from that class and combined them with ChatGPT, applying my strengths to the process. I’m pretty proud of the layout I created.
So, let me break it down. Here’s how I’ve been using my strengths with my bill management system:
- Belief: I stay true to my values of financial stewardship, making sure I prioritize essential payments like housing and utilities. I connect each bill to my value system, reinforcing why it’s important to stay on top of these things.
- Deliberative: I carefully review bills before setting up payments or plans. I weigh the pros and cons of different strategies, like paying off high-interest debt first. I make pro and con lists to help with long-term decisions.
- Adaptability: I stay flexible with unexpected financial changes. I’ve built flexibility into my calendar by scheduling weekly check-ins to adjust my plan as needed.
Tomorrow (today), I’ve got a Flow Club session at 8 p.m. (I’ll drop a link for this too—it’s a virtual co-working space).
https://in.flow.club/h/cj?inviteCode=charity985
I realized I need that, especially as I figure out the tools that work best for me. I’m not going to be hard on myself for the needs I have; instead, I’m going to thank God that these tools exist and that I’m using them to my advantage.
Setting goals is on the agenda for tomorrow because I realized I don’t do that enough. Planning has been tough for me—calendars, to-do lists—all those things that seem normal for everyone else have been a struggle for me. But I’m developing, and I’m excited about creating systems that work for me.
I long for the day I can be proud of what I’ve accomplished and hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” That’s the ultimate goal. So, yeah, this is me facing my fears, using the tools I have, and remembering that I’m fearfully and wonderfully made by God. He’s supplied my every need, and I’m more than a conqueror.
If David could use a rock to knock out Goliath, I can use whatever I need to tackle my giants. So, here’s to facing my fears.
Peace.
[Spoken by me/written by ChatGPT]
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