It Could Be Easier…
Do you have hidden strengths?
D you have hidden weaknesses?
Do you have goals?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, it is time to do a little excavating.
If your strengths are hidden, you cannot leverage them in order to use them effectively in reaching your goals. Likewise, if you do not know your weaknesses, you cannot improve or manage them so that they do get in your way.
Most of us, unfortunately are better acquainted with our weaknesses than our strengths. So, in this series of posts, I want to focus on strengths.
What are Strengths?
We talk about strengths all the time. What are they?
A strength as an innate or learned characteristic that you possess, or behavior that you exhibit, that when applied consistently allows you the greatest chance of successfully reaching your goals.
or
Positive psychology researcher Alex Linley, author of Average to A+ Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others, describes a strength as, “a pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is authentic and energising to the user, and enables optimal functioning, development, and performance.”
or
It is something you just do and it comes easy. Hmm…
Advantages of Knowing Your Strengths
One of the first steps is taking an inventory of your strengths. Once you know what your strengths are, you are in a better position to make choices that will work best for you in reaching your goals. You may:
- decide to operate more often in your areas of strength
- become more skilled in an area of strength.
- be more motivated to follow through when a task comes easier to you.
- have more fun when you are operating an area of strength.
You may even possess strengths that you utilize in one area of your life right now that you do not yet see how you can apply to help in other areas of your life).
The trick, of course, is to identify these assets and how you can use them to help you.
Stay tuned for next week’s post when I’ll suggest a few ways to uncover your hidden strengths.
