In life, the key to success is turning the challenges we all face every day into opportunities to continue to learn and grow. Isak Dinesen once said, “Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before, how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way, and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.”
So, how do you go about the mission of discovering your personality strengths and making them, and yourself, stronger? The secret to living a happier and more successful life is knowing yourself, inside and out. The more you know about your weaknesses and strengths, the greater your potential to fly high and succeed.
There are two ways to make the most of your potential. The first way is to work on reducing your weaknesses and turn them into strengths. On the other hand, you can choose to focus on your strengths and make them stronger. The most effective way to make the most of your gifts and talents is to magnify your known strengths by making them even stronger.
The first step toward making any large and lasting changes is to take an inventory of your strengths and weaknesses. It’s essential that you know about yourself and that you make the time to think about your aspirations, dreams, and values. Only then can you thrive instead of simply trying to survive.
Here are some ideas about figuring out what your strengths are, and how to improve upon them.
1. Journal. Keep a record of your life. Write a personal diary, journal, compose poems about how you are feeling, or find other creative outlets, like drama, paintings, sports, or dance.
2. Mirror. Spend some quality time in front of your mirror. You can decide to spend a lot of time in front of a mirror to express your feelings, or you can assess your inner thoughts.
Looking at yourself in the mirror will give you a much better sense of who you really are. Many actors and actresses do this to find out what they are good at and what they need to work on.
3. Collect your thoughts. Give yourself ample time to recall what you did and why you did it. When you take the time to understand yourself by writing your thoughts down, you avoid just doing things without thinking.
These discoveries and answers will give rise to a new level of confidence within you. Also, you will be able to identify new talents you never realized that you already had.
4. Ask for insights from your friends and family. They are the ones who know you best, and you may be surprised to learn that they have a totally different perspective to offer.
5. Observe yourself. Pay attention to how you react to things. The best way to know your strengths is to observe the way you feel and how you conduct yourself in stressful situations.
I always recommend journaling, but keep a journal and write in it each time you face a stressful situation. Describe the situation, how you responded, and what you could have done differently. This way, you’ll learn from your mistakes or missteps, and begin to turn your weaknesses into definite strengths.
Simply thinking about what really makes you tick, what you’re good at, and what things you struggle with will help you create an awareness of yourself that will propel you forward in the direction of the life you know that you deserve, and can pursue. Take some time today, re-connect with yourself, rediscover who you are, and put yourself in a position to put your best foot forward in every situation.
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