Turn to the person next to you and tell
them a story about when you were at your absolute best. Not a humble story, in
which you downplay your strengths or try to share credit with others, but a
true story about a time when you shined and were absolutely amazing. Even
though talking about our strengths violates many of our cultural taboos,
research shows that identifying and using your strengths actually leads to more
happiness, less depression and greater feelings of connection. As if that
weren’t enough, strengths are also associated with persevering longer on
difficult activities and with a greater chance of achieving your goals. Here’s
how to find your strengths and use them to live to your fullest potential.
Ways to find your personal strengths
We
all have strengths, and there are a number of ways you can come to learn about
your own strengths.
1. Pay attention to what others say
A good way to
discover your strengths is by paying attention to the compliments you receive
from others. Chances are, you have a lifetime of experience of people labeling
your strengths for you. Perhaps they say "I could never be as brave as
you" or "I admire how forgiving you are." In each case these
compliments likely represent your true personal strengths.
2. Look for what energizes you in the present
What activities
really excite your enthusiasm? What tasks do you find yourself gravitating
towards? Which activities do you seem to learn very easily? The answers will
point you directly at a whole set of strengths. Once you have identified a few
core strengths — those that really describe you well — you can work on developing
them and begin to live to your potential.
3. Take a strengths survey
There are a number
of widely used assessments that can help you identify strengths and weaknesses.
The Realise helps you to understand 60 different attributes as strengths you
use, strengths you don't use, behaviors you learn or weaknesses. It also comes
with a personal development plan. Assessing and finding your strengths and
weaknesses is an important first step.
4. Use your strengths in the right amount
I once coached a
woman who was extraordinarily creative. The problem was that she was sometimes too creative -- always
spinning new ideas without evaluating and following through on the old ideas.
Although it was a counter intuitive solution, her best course of development was
to "dial down" her strength of creativity. Sometimes using a strength
less can be as
powerful in living to your potential as using that strength without control or
direction. A key to happiness is embracing moderation and balance.
5. Use the right strength
Although you might
have a personal strength in humor, forgiveness or attention to detail, these
strengths can be misused. Typically, when people confront a problem they look
to their own strengths as potential solutions and try to "force"
these on the situation. Unfortunately, this can lead to the wrong strengths
being put into play. When confronted with a problem ask yourself which specific
strengths the situation calls for. Let the situation
determine which of your strengths you put on the table. In some cases, the most
appropriate strengths may not be the strengths you have. In these instances,
try enlisting the help of others or collaborating to get the job done. Knowing
which strengths to use, and asking others for help, can be a real key to
happiness.
6. Put weaknesses in their proper place
It is normal to
think we can improve ourselves the most by tackling our deficits, but consider
this metaphor: Sometimes a sailboat has a little leak, and this is the
weakness. It is important to pay attention to these weaknesses because you do
not want your boat to sink. But even if you bail out the water or patch the
hole, your actions will not propel your boat forward. For that, you need the
sails. Focusing on weaknesses helps prevent you from failing, but success is
found in the energy and forward momentum of strengths.
1 comments:
Write commentsA top-notch event planner is a talented illusionist, transforming months of planning and stressful heat-of-the-moment decision-making into what seems like a seamless and effortless event. The right motivational speaker is a magician of sorts, too, casting a lasting spell over audience members and making them see the world--and their capacity to change it--with new eyes.Motivational speaker
ReplyEmoticonEmoticon