Strengths, the qualities that propel us forward and inspire us to strive for more, are qualities and personal traits that we all possess to varying degrees. Each of us has a natural tendency towards one strength, but fully unlocking its potential requires acknowledging all of them. Knowing our strengths is the first step to making the most of them.
Top Personal Strengths
Over the course of our lives, we’ve gathered a great deal of experience, which helps us to discover our abilities. Little did I know, this life experience was only scratching the surface. Perhaps you’re a bit like me, in sync with your natural abilities, but you’ve always felt there was more—something you couldn’t quite describe or put your finger on. This something sets your soul ablaze.
I knew my strengths had to extend beyond being a self-disciplined individual who enjoys connecting with others and creating something from nothing. I am a dreamer, a creative, and a knowledge vacuum. I devour research, get deeply lost in pages, and am happiest when I’m learning. But there was more to it than this. Something I couldn’t figure out. After all this time, could it be that I didn’t really know myself?
What Is a Strengths Finder Quiz?
People often say that we’re our own best experts. But how do we assess our own knowledge if we don’t know it’s there? And what if you can’t verbalize why you choose a particular path or don’t know how to maximize your strengths? Or truthfully what your strengths even are?
Enter the strengths finder assessment—a tool that helps you identify your top strengths.
Knowing your strengths is important no matter what stage of life you’re in. It can help you choose the right career path, discover new ways to solve problems, identify what you’re good at, and ultimately, feel more fulfilled in your life. The strengths finder was the piece of the puzzle that revealed my something to me.
StrengthsFinder 2.0
Seemingly out of nowhere, I discovered a book, StrengthsFinder 2.0, that helped me understand why certain experiences set my soul on fire. Knowing these details led me to connect each of my strengths to every aspect of my life, and aligning those traits was the key to further developing them.
For me, The StrengthsFinder 2.0 is more than a book and an assessment. It was my means of uncovering what was beneath. Those parts of me that I had been unable to identify or give a name to suddenly had clarity. It was then I was able to understand why I felt unchallenged in one area, yet overwhelmed in another.
Discover Your Strengths
Although the StrengthsFinder 2.0 and CliftonStrengths assessment aren’t free, they are well worth their cost. However, there is an assessment that can help you discover what makes you tick without a price tag. And one million people have taken the free HIGH5 personality test to discover their unique strengths.
You can include me among the one million people who have taken this test. And, despite having completed other strengths finder assessments, I saw it as yet another opportunity to discover and expand my knowing of who I was.
Why Knowing Your Strengths is Important
Identifying your strengths helps you to make the most of them. When we know our strengths, we have a map for success. This understanding can help us in everything from leadership and career advancement to problem-solving. You can direct your efforts toward what you do best when you know your strengths.
Knowing your strengths can also help you discover new ways to solve problems. When we’re in our comfort zones, we often rely on the same solutions over and over again. And sometimes those fixes really aren’t the best options, but we continue using them anyway. Only by pushing ourselves out of that box and comfort zone will we discover new and better ideas. Ultimately, we will achieve better results and satisfaction when we operate within our strengths.
What About Weaknesses?
The assessments mentioned in this article don’t focus on weaknesses. They focus on your strengths and reveal how you can take something already good and turn it into something even better.
By focusing on what you do well, you allow yourself the chance to improve not just one area but every area in which you excel. This approach allows for more creativity, experimentation, and trial-and-error without feeling overwhelmed and discouraged.
When you fixate on your weaknesses, you give them power. You may begin to believe that they are the only aspects of yourself, enabling them to eclipse your strengths. When we focus on our strengths and how to use them rather than our weaknesses, it becomes easier to see things from a different perspective and find ways out of negative thought patterns.
Your Strengths: How Will You Use Them Today?
Knowing and understanding your strengths is the first step to using them to their fullest potential. Once you know what they are, you can begin looking for opportunities to use them in your career, relationships, and all areas of your life.
We all have unique gifts and talents that we can use to make a difference in the world. However, far too often, we allow our strengths to go unused. Go ahead and take the step and see how good it feels to live in your strengths. You may be surprised at just how much of a difference it makes. Whatever your strength may be, it’s important to find ways to use it in your everyday life. Not only will this help you to feel more fulfilled and confident, but it can also benefit those around you. How will you begin using yours today?