In honor of my birthday week, I’m sharing a blog from a friend and fellow Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Chris Heinz.  Chris and I have both celebrated a birthday this month, and I found truth, humor, and insight in his thoughts about how our natural talents – the ways we’re wired – impact all parts of our lives, even how we want to celebrate our birthdays!  

I got to thinking how my strengths might affect the way I want to celebrate my birthday, and how folks with other strengths may celebrate theirs. We've already considered how the strengths may do Disney World® and choose a baby name. In this post, we wonder what they might do on their special day.

By "34 strengths," we're referring to Gallup’s 34 CliftonStrengths® of talent. I’m a Gallup Certified Strengths coach and love helping people awaken to their talents. Being aware of your talents, growing them into strengths, and aiming them toward your goals is a key to success in life and work.

Here's how the 34 strengths may celebrate their birthday:

Achiever®: You go to work on your birthday

Activator®: You invite friends to your party before you have a time and location

Adaptability®: You wake up and then decide how to celebrate

Analytical®: You ponder all the ways the last year has made you better and worse

Arranger®: You plan out your day to include visits with your favorite people and stops at your favorite hangouts

Belief®: You ask for donations to your favorite causes rather than gifts for yourself

Command®: You ask the gift giver for the receipt because you don’t want the gift they gave you

Communication®: You toast your friends at your party with meaningful words

Competition®: You play board games, video games or go bowling

Connectedness®: You think back on the last year and feel grateful at how the hard times helped you grow

Consistency®: You don’t want any special treatment

Context®: You pull out picture albums from days past

Deliberative®: You spend a very long time deciding how to celebrate your birthday, including what could go wrong

Developer®: You let your kids decide how to celebrate your birthday

Discipline®: You do what you always do on your birthday

Empathy®: You cancel your plans to help your friend who’s having a bad day

Focus®: You go on the dream trip that you have prioritized and saved for

Futuristic®: You dream about the “future you”

Harmony®: You ask everyone what they want to do on your birthday

Ideation®: You create a list with lots of birthday options

Includer®: You invite friends, family, acquaintances, and people you just met to your party

Individualization®: You treasure gifts that are uniquely just for you, no matter how inexpensive they are

Input®: You ask for pieces to add to your collection—the more the better

Intellection®: You watch a movie or attend a lecture, and then discuss with friends

Learner®: You decide which new skills you’ll learn in the next year

Maximizer®: You plan your day, then make it better, then plan your day, then make it better

Positivity®: You’re so happy that you get accused of inhaling helium but actually haven’t

Relator®: You get together with the same small group of friends with whom you always celebrate each other’s birthdays

Responsibility®: You ask for gift cards so you can choose your own gifts

Restorative™: You make a wish to fix the world’s problems

Self-Assurance®: You go skydiving, swimming with sharks, and/or skinny dipping

Significance®: You write a note to someone who has made an impact on you

Strategic®: You get to the restaurant and find they’ve lost your reservation, then plan a quick alternative, which ends up being better than the first place

Woo®: You tell people in line at the store that it’s your birthday

What else would the strengths do on their birthday? 

Hit reply to let us know!

Copyright © 2019 Gallup, Inc. All right reserved. Gallup®, CliftonStrengths®, and each of the 34 CliftonStrengths theme names are trademarks of Gallup, Inc.

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