Character Strengths

Today I decided to look a little deeper into my character, character, define by webster, is the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person. These traits are what drive our thoughts and actions. Forming lifestyle and profession choice around personal strengths increaces the potential for happiness and success.
I find self-observation hard at times because instead of being objective, I often over analyze aspects of myself and end up with skewed results. So I used the handy VIA Character Strengths Test to help me assess my own personal strengths. I have listed below my highest ranking traits, the test's definition of each strength and my own notes on each in italics. I will also create another post to address my lowest ranked traits. It's a long test, about 240 questions, so takes a little time but I found it to be very thorough and the results it gave were quite insightful.

My highest ranking character strengths according to VIA:

1. Judgment: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind. This is truly me in a nutshell, I think and think and think about everything, weighing pros and cons before every decision. I'm glad this is one of my strengths, it was kept me out of trouble and safe for a long time. It has helped be very successful in many aspects of life because I am able to analyze and think critically about the potential outcomes.
2.  Perseverance: You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you "get it out the door" in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks. I enjoy when a task has been completed, there's a satisfaction in being able to say "I did that".
3. Honesty: You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a "real" person. There are two parts to this definition: one is me and one I'm working on. In terms of outward expression I believe that I am an honest person. I tell people the truth (sometimes sugar coated) whenever approached, I talk to people in a "no frills" way and give them well-grounded, realistic answers. However, I do not think I am very honest with myself. I don't feel as though I am "living in a genuine and authentic way", historically the choices I have made are not true to myself, they are analyzed choices that I thought would make others happy. I am actively working on becoming more true to myself.
4. Prudence:You are a careful person, and your choices are consistently prudent ones. You do not say or do things that you might later regret. I believe that this strength is linked closely to my #1 Judgment. My cautious choices come after heavy thinking. This does however lead to a lack of spontaneity.
5.  Leadership: You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen. Many times in my life I have assumed the leadership role, it is a stressful but very enjoyable one. I get excited by leadership because many of my thoughts/opinions are able to be voiced while still learning from the group. As stated in #3, I am very task oriented and as the leader of an operation I am able to oversee the project and ensure it gets completed in accordance with my high standards. 

With my objective to explore live and discover my purpose, character strengths should act as a guide and compass to lead me into endeavors that I will find enjoyable and fulfilling.