People who use their strengths are more productive, engaged, and successful. Knowing your strengths can help you choose priorities, to leverage your time to make the most of them. Knowing your strengths can help you find a compatible career and begin to discover purpose or Ikigai. Using your strengths contributes to confidence and self-esteem, and helps to cultivate strong relationships.
Your strengths may include innate talents or skills that you have learned. Sometimes the personal qualities that are your positive traits are called character strengths. Strengths may be something that you want to share with others, and people may tell you that you are good at it. To identify strengths, look for:
- Flow. When an activity draws you in and time flies by, it may be a strength.
- Energy. Activities that you love doing often energize you when you engage in them.
- Abilities. Strengths are abilities that require physical or mental effort.
- Talents. Strengths may be talents that come naturally and easily to you.
- Skills. Strengths may be developed skills that have been learned.
Identify Strengths
- Card Sort – A strength spotting card sort pdf from dnav.international can help to identify strengths.
- List – a pdf of 60 strengths by Strengths Profile discovered at peopleatheartcoaching.com.
- Observe – notice talents that you are naturally good at, and skills that you enjoy using.
- Test – the Red Bull Wingfinder is a free test with 25 strengths in 4 areas: Creativity, Thinking, Drive, Connections. Or try the Stand Out Assessment with 9 roles: influencer, advisor, pioneer, stimulator, connector, equalizer, creator, teacher, provider.
- Strengthsfinder – the Clifton Strengthsfinder assesses 34 strengths in 4 domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking. There is a fee for this test.
Identify Your Strengths is Part Two of Discover U in Ten Steps and part of a self-assessment to uncover hidden talents. More tools to identify strengths are at the Discover U Toolkit at Wakelet or or via Google, and the Strengths Pinterest Board. A SWOT analysis is a planning tool to clarify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Develop Strengths
It takes strength to do hard things, and strengths can be developed with practice.
• Stand strong
• Tackle the tough
• Rely on resilience
• Endure hard times
• Notice the necessary
• Grow with grit
• Try tenacity
• Have the hustle
Develop Skills | Work Skills List | Work Skills Toolkit | Develop Character | Development Plan
The book “The Power of Full Engagement” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz has ideas for developing four sources of energy: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. In the same way we can develop physical strength with exercise, we can develop strength in all areas.
- Discover your heroes
- Identify your strengths
- Explore your skills
- Examine your beliefs
- Look at your values
- Develop a mission statement
- Learn about your personality and interests
- Think about your talents and goals
- Tell your story
- Express yourself
How to Start a Fire is a free eBook on discovering what you are passionate about.
Brand and Purpose Toolkit at Resources
I seek to create order from the chaos of complex information. Join me at the Daily PlanIt to gain insights, inspiration, and information to increase skills for a better life. I unlock the power of teaching reading with phonics in the pursuit of literacy at www.phonicspow.com. In my spare time I explore books and movies, often choosing titles available on both screen and page.
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