Use Your Strengths for Success!

How many times have you heard you need to work on your weaknesses?  “Turn your weaknesses into your strengths!” 

That is a huge energy drain!  Why would you want to do that?  Don’t waste your time!  The book Three Feet From Gold puts it this way “Work your strengths, hire your weaknesses”.

What are your strengths?  Many times we don’t even recognize them because they come so naturally to us, we don’t even consider them a strength. 

Maybe you’re super creative – you may think “Well, isn’t everyone?” 

Maybe you’re good at organization – you may think “It’s no big deal.”

Maybe you are really detail oriented, or maybe you love social media and posting really awesome pictures on Instagram.

Maybe your faith is what has kept you hanging in there all these years and kept your attitude positive.

Maybe you’re naturally curious and have been since you were a child.  I bet you didn’t even realize that your desire to try new restaurants, meet new people, and to learn new things was actually a strength!  It absolutely is!

So, what ARE your strengths?  How can you use your strengths to set and achieve your goals?  We always seem to be working on something, losing weight, advancing our career, starting our own business (even a side gig), earning a degree or certification, feeling healthier, and the list goes on – it’s endless!  How can you take advantage of what you are already good at to keep moving you forward?

The best resource I know to learn what your strengths are is the VIA Institute on Character.  You can take a “survey” and learn how you rank in the 24 categories of strengths.  It’s a free survey, you only have to share your email so they can send you your report.  Here is the link - https://www.viacharacter.org/surveys/takesurvey

I took the survey and my top 5 strengths are: Spirituality, Gratitude, Love, Love of Learning, and Fairness.

How can I use my strengths to set a goal, enjoy the journey and achieve my goal?  I’ll just talk for a minute about my top strength which is spirituality – a couple ways this is manifested is in my calmness and my sense of purpose. 

Calmness is certainly valuable as a coach.  You sure wouldn’t want a coach that went off the deep end when you shared a personal challenge.  You would want someone who could be calm, empathetic, and understanding.

My sense of purpose is a benefit for being a solopreneur.  Being in business for yourself can sound glamorous, and it can feel like you are taking on the whole world by yourself!  Being grounded in my purpose, knowing I am called to coach others to be their best self, full of health, and being able to walk alongside them as they discover and achieve their desires, helps me through the tough times. 

What about you?  Take the VIA survey first.  Take a look at your strengths – especially the top 5.  Were you surprised?  Was there a strength you didn’t expect there, or one that you were sure was a top strength? 

Reflect for a moment, how does that strength show up in your life, or how HAS it shown up?  How has it contributed to your success in the past?  Nothings helps with future success like a past or current success!  You did it before, you can do it again and knowing what strength helped you succeed, gives you a focus to succeed again – no matter what your goal is this time.

Forget about trying to build your weaknesses up, focus on your strengths!  Success creates more success and it starts with your strengths!

Discovering your strengths, using them to set your goals, and creating a vision that beckons is a foundational piece of my coaching. 

If you want to find out more, or how this might support you, let’s schedule a quick call. 

I’d love to hear about your strengths!  Message me with your insights – it’s a powerful place to start!