• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Bookshelf
    • Audio
    • Complete List of Chautona’s Books
    • The Rockland Chronicles
      • The Vintage Wren
      • The Aggie Series
      • The Hartfield Mysteries
      • Sight Unseen Series
        • Sight Unseen Series Archives
      • The Agency Files
      • Christmas Fiction
    • Legacy of the Vines
    • Meddlin’ Madeline
      • Madeline Blog Archive
    • Ballads from the Hearth
      • Ballads from the Hearth Blog Archive
    • Legends of the Vengeance
    • Journey of Dreams
    • Wynnewood
    • Webster’s Bakery
    • The Not-So-Fairy Tales
    • Heart of Warwickshire
  • Start HERE
    • Characters
    • Suggested Reading Order
    • Free Books
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Podcast
    • Advertising
    • Podcast Guest Information
    • Podcast Interview FAQ
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Bonus
  • Speaking
  • New & Coming
Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

A Super Easy Way to Discover Your Greatest Weakness

by Chautona Havig · 2 Comments

“You have no personality. Please return and take the test again at another time.”

That was the result of a very intensive “career advice” personality quiz I once took.  The thing wasn’t some bogus Facebook quiz with ten questions that determined how you tick by asking if you like the picture of the watermelon or the garbage heap best. A solid twenty or more minutes of agonizing over questions, not pictures of varying shades of blue.

It was put out by a reputable financial ministry whose name most Christians would recognize if I shared it.  I won’t. I wouldn’t want to give them the reputation of name-calling.  Besides, it’s not their fault that their algorithm says I’m as flat and one-dimensional as a Mary Sue in a cheesy novel. Maybe I really am!

But after I finished all that work, to be informed that I have no personality and needed to redo it–harsh!  And yeah, so not going to happen.

But you’ve all been there, I’m sure. For a job, a ministry, or just curiosity, you find out about a  legitimate quiz. So, you click.

A Super Easy Way to Discover Your Greatest Weakness

Note: links in this post may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

The torture begins.

One question follows another.  You know, things like: “Do you prefer to socialize in the middle of the room, or do you stay near the edges?” Or: “When you paint your toenails, are they purple or green?”

Why does no one ever ask, “Do you prefer to die a slow poisonous death to give you time to say goodbye to your loved ones, or would you rather get it over?  Short and snappy?”  And who wants purple or green?  Why not have both and look like you banged up your fingernails in a desperate attempt to get out of that social room?

Yeah. I’m kind of a shy introvert.  How’d you guess?

But no, that’s not my greatest weakness. 

Denny's Writing
This is me, working at Denny’s in booth 14, NOT taking a personality test.

Still, taking those infernal personality tests is one way to root it out–if it’s a good one.  Why?  I’ll tell you.  I’m accommodating that way.

All those questions tossed at you, one after another until you feel like your head will explode. Heart pounding, head swelling, it becomes a race just to finish–or until you close out the browser and walk away blissfully unaware that as far as that website is concerned, you have no personality.

So, to make the blog challenge gurus happy, I stared at this week’s prompt, “What is your greatest weakness?” and tried to answer it.

Just like last week… clueless.

Until I saw another one of those handy, dandy little personality tests on a friend’s Facebook wall. It looked real.  The answers didn’t seem like they were generated in a fortune cookie factory.

So I clicked.

Five questions–ten–twenty–fifty?  It felt like five hundred.  I don’t know how I made it to the end, but I was exhausted.  But it was worth it because, for the first time, I got a result that actually felt like me.  Sure, there were a few things that were 100% wrong. Apparently, folks that fit into my little box don’t care much about rules and traditions.  Once again, I defy convention in my unwillingness to defy convention.  How very Madeline of me. 😉

But every time another set of questions appeared–just when I was sure I was finally done, you understand–I really did become almost paralyzed. I so wanted to click out, and if they hadn’t written such a fascinating copy for my friend’s “type,” I would have.  And that’s when I also discovered my greatest weakness.

I shut down when I’m overwhelmed.

OverwhelmedTalk about inefficient! But it’s true.  All, too true. For example, I wake up, cheerful and happy, ready to greet a sunshiny…  afternoon and click open my email. Five hundred new ones flood the inbox.

That right there can shut me down for hours–all day.  It took me years to develop a coping skill.

You see, some would say, “Just delete the spam and move on.”

Well, I happen to have an excellent spam filter. Almost every email that makes it through is one I want to read. Unfortunately, I do not have time to read everything I want to.  So, I sit there, eyes closed, and think of which informational email I most likely can live without this week. There are some who send several a day.  Those are the ones I target.

Hint: I never look at the list of unread emails. Instead, I hit Control + F.

Find. Search email with any name I can think of. See six from that one place. Delete (and yes, I say that, aloud, and with the robotic tone of a cyberman.  Because that’s how I roll.)

I lather, rinse, repeat. The blogging guru?  Sorry. Delete. The book launch guru–de-leeete. Delete. DELETE.

And then it happens–my greatest weakness kicks my butler in gear. 

All by accident, of course. My brain goes, “what about the stuff sent to me from chautona.com?  I mean, that’s where reader questions usually come from. With a few types of the keys, bam! Twenty-five instead of four hundred twenty-five questions pop up.

I can handle twenty-five emails.  I can do this thing.

But for some ridiculous reason, if I try to start there… without deleting some of the other stuff just waiting to suck every second out of my day?  Yeah.  I can’t function.

And that’s what is so cool about weaknesses.  You can’t always overcome them, but you usually can find a way to trick them.

And that’s my super easy way to find your greatest weakness.

Ask yourself. What do you avoid most?

When I realized that I avoid things that tend to make me overwhelmed, I got suspicious. When I wanted to take a test and resisted… suspicion theory tested.

When I nearly backed out after wasting time on a really interesting test–suspicion confirmed. When overwhelmed, I shut down.

I’ve had people tell me that this isn’t a weakness, per se. It’s a coping mechanism.   I disagree.  My way of handling it is the coping mechanism.

Kind of like that weakness I talked about the other day.  It’s related, you know. When my house starts to fall apart around me, it’s overwhelming. I shut down.  So, I play those mind games I was talking about in that post.

I should confess something. Another weakness of mine is over-analyzing everything.

And you know what?  If you can’t figure out what you avoid the most, go take that personality test. They have a whole list of lovely weaknesses for your type. I guarantee one will fit you.  It might not be your greatest weakness, but it’ll be one.  And once you’ve identified that one, who knows?

You might just find a dozen or two more!  WOOT! ???

But there’s a better way, of course–to find your greatest weakness, I mean.

It’s just not super easy.  And well, sometimes we need that super easy for the short-term. But the Bible, of course, gives us the best way–the most powerful way to know for certain what your greatest weakness is.  Because, of course, then you can look to the rest of your Bible to learn how to overcome it.  Meanwhile, here’s where to go to learn how to find it.

James 1:5

James chapter 1 verse five. I don’t know exactly what kind of wisdom James was talking about, if he even had something specific in mind, but I suspect that it’s wise to see where we’re weak and ask the Lord to strengthen us there. It’ll take longer, but it’ll be sweeter and more rewarding.

Growing in Jesus always is.

And then, because I love reinforcement, beauty, and the book of James, I created THIS!

James 1:5 coloring page

And I’m giving it away both for current subscribers (just forward your latest newsletter) and NEW subscribers! New Subscribers get both the FREE short story collection and this. The short story collection is delivered automatically, but new subscribers will need to forward their confirmation email to me to get the coloring pages. Just hit “reply” and ask for it! I’ll be happy to send it to you!

Even better, I did it in both the ESV and the KJV. You’ll get both!

 If you want to help spread the word:

share this image on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or wherever you like to socialize on the web!

Free Coloring Page

Printing tip: if your printer doesn’t’ do a “full bleed” printing, tell this to print at 95% in landscape mode.

Share
Pin
Tweet
Email
Share
Pin
Tweet
Email

Related

Filed Under: General Information, Writing

Previous Post: « How to Use Mind Games for Inspiration & Overcoming Weaknesses
Next Post: A Helpful New Podcast: What happens When 3 Writers Get a Wild Hair »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Or, you can subscribe without commenting.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Comments

  1. Photini says

    April 4, 2017 at 6:35 am

    My problem with tests like this is I have no idea how to answer some of the questions. Like your example: “When you paint your toenails, are they purple or green?” I don’t paint my toenails. or fingernails. rarely use lipstick. So what am I supposed to answer? Or which TV show to I prefer when I have never seen either. How do ou answer that??????

    These quizzes are worthless to tell me anything except that I don’t fit their mold.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      April 4, 2017 at 7:05 pm

      I totally agree. That’s why I liked this one. It asked normal questions that really show personality not someone’s opinion of personality. There were only one or two that I had to fudge as to how I should answer. Usually it’s 2/3 of them.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
byChautona Havig

Hey, we’re back after a couple of weeks of vacation, and boy did I need it. And, have I got a fabulous interview for you. Nancy Naigle and I talked about her books, her most recent release, What Remains True as well as her Christmas books and the one I’m most anxious to read, The Shell Collector. Listen in and learn about what Nancy says about this bet she has going on in What Remains True. Great stuff!

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Need a Great Romantic Read to Wind Up Your Summer Reads?

As I said in the podcast, a while back, someone told me I’d LOVE The Shell Collector–one of those people who recommends books you HAVE to read if they say you do.  So I bought it and it’s been sitting on my shelf ever since. Well, now it’s on my GoodReads shelf, and I’m about to start it (and I optimistically thought I’d be done with it by the time this episode released. Oh, me of too much faith in myself and my time management!)

Author of over thirty books, not to mention a bestselling author who also has movies made of her novels (And The Shell Collector has been optioned! EEEP!), Nancy loves to write Christmas books and small-town stories. Seriously, as we talked, I felt like she was talking about me half the time. We’re so very alike in so many ways. It was fun.

Nancy also pointed out that her first books (if you go WAY back) are not Christian fiction and are a bit spicier than she prefers to write and definitely more than she writes today. So be warned there, but she did assure us that they are all closed-door books.

What Remains True by Nancy Naigle

One woman wants to win a bet. One man wants to become a rodeo champion. One little girl may give them both something even better—from USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle.

“A commitment-phobic rodeo star and a divorcée with secrets find love in this wholesome romance. . . . As uplifting as it is sweet.”—Publishers Weekly

Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek?

Adam Locklear, bull rider and owner of the local feedstore, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. But Adam has no time for matters of the heart. He’s got his future all mapped out, and that future doesn’t involve a woman just yet. It doesn’t involve parenting a little girl either. However, Carly Fowler still suddenly leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care.

Is it possible that the future holds a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? One that includes both tenderness and even love—not just for each other but for Zan too?

You can learn more about Nancy’s books and movies on her WEBSITE.

Oh, and PSST… I’m loving the audiobook of this one!

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple 
  • Castbox 
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn 
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • Amazon
  • and more!
Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
Episode 162: A Chat with Author, Nancy Naigle
August 9, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
July 26, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 160: A Chat with Liz Johnson about The Last Way Home
July 22, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 159: A Chat with Biblical Fiction Author, Mesu Andrews
July 19, 2022
Chautona Havig
A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Stephanie Landsem
July 12, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 157: A Chat with Historical Christian Fiction Author, Lynn Austin
July 8, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 156: The Fragrance of Violets by Susan K. Beatty
July 5, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 155: Chatting with Heather Day Gilbert & Jen Cudmore
July 1, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 154: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Sami A. Abrams
June 28, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 153: A Chat with Historical Author, Tracie Peterson
June 21, 2022
Chautona Havig
Search Results placeholder

Join a Reading Challenge

2022 Write Reading Challenge

Love Audio Books?

audio book ad

Check out the Sparrow Island novels. A tiny island with a lot of heart

independence islands series

Featured Books

Finding a Memory

Finding a Memory
Buy This Book Online
Purchase with Paypal
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Finding a Memory
Buy now!

Penelope’s Pursuit

Penelope’s Pursuit
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Purchase with Paypal
Penelope’s Pursuit
Buy now!

The Last Gasp

The Last Gasp
Buy This Book Online
Purchase with Paypal
Buy from Audible.com
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
The Last Gasp
Buy now!

Upcoming Posts

Sorry - nothing planned yet!

Or just subscribe to the newsletter

Recent Blog Posts

  • Need a Great Romantic Read to Wind Up Your Summer Reads?
  • Take a Guess: Did We Skip Our Wedding to Avoid Complete Disaster?
  • What’s Better Than a Great Women’s Fiction Novel on a Summer’s Day?

I buy my stickers here! (affiliate)

Custom Stickers, Die Cut Stickers, Bumper Stickers - Sticker Mule

Footer

What Am I Working On?

Book, Chapter & Vows
Book, Chapter, & Vows
Phase:Week 3
100%
Get Book Updates

Featured

Finding a Memory

Finding a Memory
Buy This Book Online
Purchase with Paypal
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Buy from Amazon
Finding a Memory
Buy now!

Dial W for Wrangler

Dial W for Wrangler

Disclosure:

Disclosure: Links on this website may or may not be affiliate links and as such, I may receive compensation from the retailer indicated for linking to their product. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Note: I DO NOT link to products that I do not recommend.

Privacy & Cookies. This website uses cookies (not the delicious kinds that make life grand) to do stuff it needs to do. By staying on the site, you agree to this evil substitution of yummy cookies for internet calorie-free substitutes. For more info, click here and read the boring stuff. Cookie Policy
Reposted from @revolutionaryfaithseries Hello Read Reposted from @revolutionaryfaithseries Hello Readers!

Summer Book Lover's Day is August 9 and we are taking a whole week to celebrate!

 I want you to have a chance to win 40+ books or a $500 Amazon card to buy a ton of books yourself in Celebrate Lit's Summer Book Lovers Giveaway.

 Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/1f449/summer-book-lover-s-multi-author

 The event and giveaway is going on now through August 13.

#celebratelit #avidreadersofchristianfiction #multiauthorgiveaway
My Book Lover's Day read. I usually read 5 chapter My Book Lover's Day read. I usually read 5 chapters per day,  but I'm going to let myself enjoy 10 today.  And if it puts me close to the ND, maybe I'll go crazy and finish. I blame @lindsayharrelauthor 
#bookloversday 
#ChristFic 
#amreading 
#ReadYourBookshelfChallenge2022
When you take a picture of your dinner to torment When you take a picture of your dinner to torment your daughter. 
#ameating 
#lafiesta
Reposted from @danielleswritingspot The excitement Reposted from @danielleswritingspot The excitement surrounding As Silent as the Night continues to bless me. This incredible endorsement comes from Chautona Havig:⁠
⁠
“Enter 1930’s Chicago where Lucia needs to escape the clutches of a mafia thug and meet Gio, the man who will risk all to find her.⁠
⁠
Add to that heart-stopping moments of a different kind, and you’re left with a beautiful and heart-wrenching romance.”⁠
⁠
⁠
Only five weeks left to pre-order:⁠
https://daniellegrandinetti.com/as-silent-as-the-night/⁠
⁠
⁠📚
#endorsement #assilentasthenight #striketotheheartseries #amreading #christimasromance #sweetromance #romanticsuspense #historicalromance #cleanread #christianfiction⁠
@chautonahavig
Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Win 40+ books or a Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Win 40+ books or a $500 Amazon card to buy a ton of books yourself in Celebrate Lit's Summer Book Lovers Giveaway.

Click here to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/1f449/summer-book-lover-s-multi-author

The event and giveaway is going on now through August 13.

#celebratelit #summerreads #christianromanticsuspense #christianfiction #sweetromance #sweetromancereads  #lisaphillipsbook
Mom got me a storm door for my birthday. It's goi Mom got me a storm door for my birthday.  It's going up today.  Eeep!!!
#TheShediffice
Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @maciestjame Reposted from @karitrumbo Repost from @maciestjames
•
It's a new month, which means there's a new Bingo card in the @sweetandswoonyromance promo? Just read eight books and comment on the below post to be eligible to win a $25 gift card. All eight books are FREE!!! Go check them out.

https://www.facebook.com/sweetandswoonyromance/posts/pfbid0uoZyfQCL5qzyMDsaJWnA8zLzfE8eJ2A8uEuLee6yqMmG1g48x1RZzUBEiBVU2yK3l

#newbooks #newbook #bookstagram #22Cowboys #22Cowboysfor1 #booklove #Christmasbooks #CowboyChristmas #CowboyforChristmas #ChristmasCollection #ChristmasCowboys #CowboyKisses #CowboyLove #ChristmasLoveStory #ChristmasRelease #Christmasromance #ChristmasWishes #ChristmasWishesCowboyKisses #holidayromance #MistletoeCowboy #MustLoveCowboys #Mustread #romancereader
  • Home
  • Bookshelf
  • New & Coming
  • Blog
  • News!
  • Disclosure & Policies
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Chautona Havig · All Rights Reserved · Coding by Gretchen Louise

Don't go before you grab your FREE short story collection!