Whether you are searching for a career, want to cultivate a strong relationship, or are wondering what you want to do with your life, there is one place you have to start. You have to know who you are. And that may not be an easy task.
To get started, download and print a Discover U Self Assessment form. Then explore the links to online tools below and write your results on the form. (find even more tools at the Discover U Toolkit at Wakelet or via Google.) The posts below provide more information about each topic.
The key areas to explore are listed below with definitions and links to an online resource (or two) for assessment. The original Ten Steps to Discover U posts come after these. The order in which you explore these areas is not that important. Your strengths are very helpful to know as they help in choosing direction and priorities. They can include your innate talents and learned skills. Identifying values and personal qualities is fairly easy so can be a good place to start. Finally, personality traits and interests can be helpful to know and can help to match with a compatible career.
• STRENGTHS – developed abilities
-Red Bull Wingfinder: 25 strengths in 4 areas (Creativity, Thinking, Drive, Connections) www.wingfinder.com
-Clifton Strengthsfinder: 34 strengths in 4 domains (Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking) $ There is a fee for this assessment. https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/
• TALENTS – innate or natural abilities
Howard Gardners multiple intelligences (Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist) www.literacynet.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html
• SKILLS – learned abilities (see also the Work Skills Toolkit and Skills Employers Want) https://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/Assessments/skills.aspx
-Secretaries Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, SCANS https://cctstfolio.com/#/unit-3/lesson-2/scans-skills-assessment
• INTERESTS – activities you enjoy
Holland Codes (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional) https://www.truity.com/test/holland-code-career-test
• PERSONAL QUALITIES – positive character strengths. VIA (24 character strengths) survey at www.viacharacter.org/
• VALUES – guiding principles. Online or printable card sort at www.thegoodproject.org/value-sort
• PERSONALITY – tendencies toward personality types or traits
-Myers-Briggs (Extrovert – Introvert: How you gain energy, Judging – Perceiving: How you organize, Thinking – Feeling: How you make decisions, Sensing – Intuition (N): How you view information. 16 Personalities
-DISC (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness) www.truity.com/test/disc-personality-test
• PURPOSE – reason for being. One clue to purpose is the experience of flow or being so involved in something that you lose all track of time: try the Flow test at Psychology Today. Emily Esfahani Smith, provides a quiz What’s Your Pillar of Meaning? at her website. Start with your strengths to fill out the Ikigai Pathway to Purpose worksheet.
Focus your soul attention with a personal mission statement (sometimes called a unique selling proposition) that pinpoints what you do and why. This value statement is about the value you add based on what you value.
Purpose Planning describes the process of seeking a mission and vision based on values and setting goals. You can then prioritize VIP AIMS: very important pursuits that are active, inspiring, meaningful solutions with high impact.
Once you know your values, interests, and strengths, you can find causes you believe in to volunteer.
The original posts in the Discover U series:
- 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
Discovering you is not just about where you live or what you do for a living. It’s not just about your favorite tv shows and favorite color. It’s not just about the roles that you play like parent or child. It’s about discovering your voice and learning how to speak your truth with it. It’s about getting in touch with the real you – your authentic self.
Find more resources at the Brand and Purpose Toolkit and in the free ebook How to Start a Fire.
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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This is wild. Comprehensive, with some good links to boot, but just pain wild. I’ve gotten so far as a 3×5″ card with some names on it; the rest will come with time, I suppose….
This process does take some time and effort, but it’s so worth it. I can’t believe the amazing things that have happened to me once I gained some clarity!
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[…] Your Strengths is Part Two of Discover U in Ten Steps and part of a self-assessment to uncover hidden talents. Find a free printable self-assessment […]
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[…] The more you know yourself, the better you will be able to develop a plan for purpose. Download a free Self Assesment form at the Brand and Purpose Toolkit, and find links to online tools in the free ebook on How to Start a Fire. (links are also at List.ly and Uncover Hidden Talents). Use these tools to explore and Discover U. […]
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[…] Discovering what you are passionate about can be challenging. I’ve gathered lots of great tools to help in a free eBook called “How To Start a Fire: Find what you are passionate about and focus the flame.” (Download the How to Start A Fire pdf) This short guide is full of the very best tools I have found to discover what you are passionate about and focus the flame for a purpose that is meaningful to you. While I have not discovered a magic formula, there are helpful ways to look for clues. We shine when we connect with this powerful renewable energy source! The links to online tools can also be found at Uncover Hidden Talents and the Discover U Tookit at Wakelet. Find the Discover U series here. […]
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