I’m always curious when it comes to looking at people’s Areas of Interest section. Going through mine allowed me to spot and put words on what I really needed and what would have the most impact on my resilience at work or in my daily life.



My three top scores all have different colours: Clerical (yellow), Social Service (green) and Artistic (blue). It emphasises a certain need for variety to be fully energised. A bit of planning, a bit of interacting and a bit of thinking, and I’m feeling great!



Being very high on clerical doesn’t necessarily mean that my flat or desk is always super-tidy, that I love spending hours on spreadsheets or that I am boring - no. But unlike a lot of people, I do like spending time behind my laptop in an office all day. I’m also comfortable with tracking things, classifying or making sure everyone follows the plan and there are two things that I’m truly energised by. The first one is the need for process. If you ask me to follow a certain pattern that I know is working, then I feel confident, happy to do so, and repeat. The second one is the love of putting order into chaos. If you want to see me at my best, visit me straight after my housework on a Saturday: best feeling! Everything is at the right place and looking good.



That brings me to my artistic score. I always enjoyed drawing when I was a kid but I’m not the super arty person. Although how things look is really important to me in many other settings. I’m really keen on interior design and one of the best days in the year is when I get the new IKEA magazine in my mailbox. As a kid, I would spend all my savings and pocket money on… buying new beds! I’m also paying a lot of attention to nature and its beauty - grabbing my camera and taking/editing pictures is a great way to recharge my batteries too. If you combine my artistic score with my clerical one, you end up like me with a colour-coded wardrobe!



Last but not least, I need to know that I’m making a positive impact to people. In order to engage with this I, for example, visit the elderly and I always come back from those visits full of energy. I’m also attending a community choir - not because of the singing bit but because it allows me to get to know new people from my neighbourhood and engage with them, building a sense of fellowship.



These are simple things, but I experience each week how much of a difference it can make. Finally, I personally found that you have to experience your AOI in time and get back to your report regularly to fully understand and make the most of that section.