Empathy

we took a test at work to locate our personal strengths and find how we fit together in our team - that was what we were told. it was interesting, i always enjoy learning about myself. keep thinking there is something wrong and bad about me so i search. then i find all these wonderful things.

here is the first of five strengths according to strengthfinder 2.0.

empathy - people who are especially talented in the empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations. what makes me stand out: driven by your talents, you may be enthusiastic about life when individuals trust you enough to share some of their personal thoughts and feelings. chances are good that you long to be befriended by everyone you meet (wow that one can hurt). your intuition helps you distinguish between those who do and do not enjoy your company (and yet i struggle to get them to like me anyway...). typically you figure out who is simply going through the motions of being nice (robert wasn't even going through the motions and it still took me forever to let him go). you can also determine who holds you in high regard (yea i feel quite shaky about that one too - 'specially with robert's actions.). you probably avoid people who hurt your feelings. you choose to spend more time with those who genuinely like you. instinctively, you are aware of people's feelings. this explains why you can let tears stream down your face when you are in the presence of individuals who are suffering or experiencing joy. you have a gift for feeling the depths of another's pain or jubilation. it's very likely that you are filled with awe by beauty in the world, in people, and in the cosmos. whether you gaze upon nature's wonders or marvel at the work of human hands, you are filled with wonder. you can suddenly stop what you are doing to watch a sunset, listen to the rustle of leaves, stand before a work of art, hear a piece of music, look through a telescope, or hold a newborn child (i love this :).). you experience beauty at a level many people cannot imagine (tho i try to introduce them to this beauty around them). once the moment has passed, you can still picture the scene or hear the sound in your memory (i love being able to do this - keeps it alive). because of your strengths, you bring a keen awareness about human behavior to the classroom, laboratory, seminar, playing field, or tutoring session. you spontaneously tune in to what individuals are thinking and feeling minute by minute. these insights are likely to make you a better educator.

hmmmm all that in the title of empathy - i like