Finding a job is one thing — and an important thing, to be sure. But unless we spend the time and energy to figure out what we really want to be doing, we’re going to land right back where we are now: frustrated, restless, lost, and unhappy. This is where we talk about how we can uncover the things we most want to do with our lives. It’s also where I test out tools so you don’t have to. Click here for past posts.

One of the ways to think about calling is the thing that is both so effortless for you and so enjoyable that, even if you’re working hard, you’re hardly working.

Finding that means knowing what it is that’s effortless for you — which is harder than you think. Because of our well-ingrained Puritan ethic, we tend to assume that if something is effortless for us, then it doesn’t count, because it’s not “work” where “work” equals misery and pain.

In other words, we tend to discount the very things that are our greatest strengths.

Enter StrengthsFinder 2.0

One of the most well-known and well-validated tests of people’s strengths is the StrengthsFinder Profile, developed by The Gallup Organization and publicized through their books Now, Discover Your Strengths and StrengthsFinder 2.0.*

They collated hundreds of thousands of surveys about people’s experiences and found 34 common “themes,” everything from Analytical to Context to Includer to Restorative, each of which is detailed in both books. (Ignore the lack of parallelism if you can. Clearly, I can’t.)

They also developed an online test which uses forced-choice pairs to create a profile of your five strongest themes — but here’s the trick. You can only take the test if you buy the book, and each book is good for exactly one test. That means not only can you not borrow a book and take the test, you can’t just take the test online without going through the hassle of purchasing and receiving a hard-copy book.

The themes are very, very useful

Despite my irritation with the whole must-buy-a-hardcopy-book-to-take-the-test thing, the themes themselves are very, very useful, partially because they highlight strengths many of us wouldn’t have thought of as either strengths or as particularly relevant to a calling or a career.

Take “Individualization,” for example, which is described this way:

Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or “types” because you don’t want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals. You instinctively observe each person’s style, each person’s motivation, how each thinks and how each builds relationships.

This came up as one of my strengths, and while it’s not something I would have thought of on my own, it’s a useful prism through which to think about, say, helping people find their individual callings. (Put that way, it feels like a “duh.”)

Or take “Includer,” which is described this way:

“Stretch the circle wider.” This is the philosophy around which you orient your life. You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. In direct contrast to those who are drawn only to exclusive groups, you actively avoid those groups that exclude others. You want to expand the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support.

That one doesn’t remotely describe me — but how good to know that consciously!

All of which is to say, I found the descriptions of the types incredibly illuminating as another framework through which to examine what we each bring to the world.

The test, not so much

I didn’t find the test all that helpful, however. Because I had read the book, the results weren’t entirely surprising to me, and the test didn’t give me a lot beyond what it says in the book, despite the claims that there are lots of additional things.

If your experience of reading the book is that everything seems relevant or that nothing seems relevant, then it’s probably worth the $25 the book costs to have their profile help you sort that out. But if you can at least sort the 34 themes into “me” and “not me,” then you’re going to have a lot to work with already.

The bottom line?

This is a useful and robust tool — but you’ll benefit as much from borrowing it from the library as you will spending the money.

*These are affiliate links, which you can read more about here.

A few comments about comments

The whole question of being unhappy in academia — no matter what stage you’re in — can feel fraught. If you’d like to comment but are feeling shy about “being out there,” feel free to make up a persona or comment anonymously. You can also email me directly.

First-time commenters are always moderated (because you wouldn’t believe the spam I get), so if your comment doesn’t show up immediately, hang tight! Chances are, I’m not right on my email.

And most of all, let’s all practice compassion for ourselves and others in this difficult time and space.