Are you leveraging your strengths?

This month we are focusing on showing ourselves some love. One of the ways we can celebrate our awesomeness is by leveraging our strengths. It is very easy to talk about what we do not do well. However, focusing on our strengths requires being more intentional.
 
In this blog post, we will explore ways to live in our strengths and be our best selves.
 
Do you know your strengths? 
One of the things that changed my life was learning more about my strengths. I did not really know what I was good at for the longest time. Many things that people said to me growing up focused on what I could be doing better. I hardly heard, "oh, this is what you are very good at ."It took me actually going on a self-discovery journey to find out what my strengths were. The strengths finder self-assessment was one of the tools that gave me words to describe my strengths. I can now confidently answer the question when I am asked what I'm good at. Another helpful tool to discover my strengths has been feedback that people give me. I struggled with accepting positive feedback as fact. It has helped me see the strengths others see in me.
 
Strategies to consider

• Spend time thinking about what your strengths are
• Ask people you trust what they think your strengths are

 
Are you using your strengths?
Knowing your strengths is great; however, you need to use your strengths. We all have many strengths that we don't think about or rarely use. I see our strengths as gifts that we were given to enrich ourselves, families, community, workplace, and lives of people we come in contact with. Using our strengths will help us feel more fulfilled. I seek opportunities to leverage my strengths in the jobs I do or how I spend my personal time.
 
Strategies to consider

• Find areas where you can use your strengths
• Share your strengths with others around you

 
How are you building your strengths? 
We focus a lot on improving things we are not good at. There is 
always an opportunity for us to keep getting better at things that we do well. Interesting one of my strengths is that I am a learner. I invest time and explore new ways of learning every year. The better I get at learning, the more fulfilled I feel in my life. I have seen the benefits flow into other areas of my life, like my work.
 
Strategies to consider

• Invest time in improving your strengths
• Learn from people who have strengths that you desire

 
Final Thoughts
Over the past six years, I have been on the journey of discovering and leveraging my strengths. It has really changed my outlook on life and how I think about myself.
 
Call to Action
Over the next two weeks, find two hours to reflect on the following:

• How will you discover your strengths? 
• How will you use your strengths? 
• How are you going to invest in building your strengths? 

Great Resources