You've seen bungees. They're those stretchy devices with hooks on each end, used to secure tarps to trailers, or to hold your trunk lid down while you transport a large box. If you hold a bungee by both ends and pull, you can stretch it. To keep it stretched can require some significant energy, because the bungee is trying to snap back to its original length.

Stretching yourself too far increases stress
It's the same with your top motivations. You can stretch yourself by working outside of your motivated strengths for a while, but you will want to snap back the first chance you get. For instance, let's say your Career Assessment shows that you have a highly motivated trait called "Independent, self-planned, self-performed activity," and you are required to work on a team most of the day. It will take a lot of energy for you to stretch yourself beyond the way you are naturally wired. It will be extraordinarily draining to be on a team several hours a day, day after day. Everything in you will want to snap back to your original shape.

Right-handers don't suddenly wake up left-handed. People who have a strong motivation for "Intuition, Creativity" don't stop being insightful and creative. Your motivations and strengths are a stable foundation you can build on.

The end of this story: Career Assessments have helped a lot of people understand why they are so stressed at work. Armed with that knowledge, they went on to find jobs better aligned with their strengths. You can do the same by getting your personalized MAPP, the foremost assessment for identifying your strengths. Take a Career assessment and take the first step to alleviating work-related stress.

Article by Henry Neils, President and Founder of Assessment.com, the leading online career assessment company focused on helping employees and employers work together for their mutual benefit. Millions of people have gained personal insight into their careers by using the tools, such as MAPP™ (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential), provided at Assessment.com."