What does zest look like on a Tuesday afternoon?

A few years ago, I took a popular character strength test online. It was a good survey, based on solid psychology rather than corporate buzzwords. When the results popped up, my top five traits were laid out in clean type: Zest, Love of Learning, Kindness, Curiosity, and Gratitude. I felt a warm glow of pride. "Yes," I thought. "That sounds like me. Or at least the version of me I would like to be." Then I did what almost everyone does after finishing a test like that. I closed the tab, went back to my inbox, and forgot all about it. The trouble with such tests is that they hand you a list of flattering words and leave you there. Knowing you have "Zest" or "Curiosity" doesn't help you when you sit down at your desk tomorrow. A strength only matters when you can answer one simple question: What does it look like on a Tuesday afternoon? Verbs, not badgesMost of us grew up with the idea that we should fix our flaws. If you brought home a school report with three As and a D, all the talk…