In life, the key to success is turning the challenges you face into opportunities 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."
How do you discover your personality strengths and make them stronger? The secret to live a successful and happy life is to know 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. You can work on reducing your weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Alternatively, you can 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 strengths by making them even stronger.
The first step toward making any change that lasts is to inventory your strengths and weaknesses. It’s essential that you know about yourself and take time to think about your aspirations, dreams, and values. Only then can you thrive instead of simply trying to survive.
5 ways of searching within yourself to determine your strengths
- Keep a record of your life. Write a personal diary, compose poems about your feelings, or find other creative outlets, like drama, paintings, sports, or dance.
- Spend some time in front of a mirror. You can 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 gives you a much better sense of who you are. When I first did this years ago, it really felt uncomfortable. Also look yourself in the eye and speak affirmation to support your uniqueness.
- A lot of actors and actresses do this to find out what they are good at and what they need to work on.
- Collect your thoughts. Give yourself 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 new confidence. Also, you will be able to identify new talents you never knew you had.
- Ask for insight from your friends and family. They’re the ones who know you best, and you may be surprised to learn that they have a totally different perspective to offer.
- Pay attention to how you react. The best way to know your strengths is to observe the way you conduct yourself in stressful situations.
- 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 and fortify your strengths.
Simply thinking about what makes you tick, what you’re good at, and what things you struggle with will create an awareness of yourself that will propel you forward in the direction of the life you deserve. Take some time today to rediscover who you are, and put yourself in a position to put your best foot forward.
Sometimes it hard to see and acknowledge your strengths when you have a warped self image. The Self Concept series is an excellent resource in eliminating a false self image and see your true M.E.. This is a tool my psychologist used during my identity recovery. (if you’d like the free workbook, just let me know)
