February Focus: Strengths Recap Week 1

We focused our efforts this month to positively expand your perspective on yourself, others, and your environment by focusing on The Character Strengths as outlined by the VIA Institute of Character. To learn more about the Strengths, read our introductory blog post here. We’ve even included access to take your own FREE Strengths assessment to really be able to leverage all the information we’re sharing throughout the month over on Instagram.

STRENGTHS Recap: Week 1

Awareness of your strengths is the first step to Living Your Yes. We kicked the month off with 7 amazing strengths. Read on for a recap of each strength and some though provoking questions to help you leverage these strengths and LIVE YOUR YES!

Perspective: Think about all the people close to you, now who do you turn to when you need to see your situation differently? Most often then not, those people lead with the strength of perspective. Perspective is a strength connected to the virtue of wisdom. When someone uses their perspective strength they give wise counsel to others. They are good at looking at a situation that make sense to oneself, and to other people. Looking to strengthen your perspective strength? Start with answering this question: In what situations do you feel most comfortable (and least comfortable) in sharing your perspective?
Hope: Let’s be real friends- sometimes shit happens & overtime you lose your ability to see the best in the future. You’re so stuck in your past thoughts, you now believe them. We understand, and have some cheery news for you today. Did you know you have the strength of hope in you? It might be buried deep, but trust us; you got it. Hope aligns to the virtue of transcendence. When you express hope, you are expecting the best in the future & working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about. Time to realign with your hope? Start here: Write down the old story that leaves you without hope on a piece of paper. And write the whole story; details and all. Next, circle only the facts of the story; not the interpretation of the fact. What are you left seeing? How can hope support you to move forward; visualize it & write it down.
Honesty: You know those people who have such a genuineness about them? Every time you see them they are so sincere. What you are witnessing is the strength of honesty being expressed. Honesty is a virtue of courage & means speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way & acting in a sincere way; being without pretense, taking responsibility for one’s feelings & actions. Curious to grow your honesty strength? Start here: In what situations do you find your need to temper your honesty or avoid the full the truth?
Creativity: Know someone who is really good at generating multiple solutions to solve a problem? They take a step back & explore the unknown to tap into something original. What you are most likely seeing is the individual’s creativity strength in expression. Creativity is aligned with the virtue wisdom. Creativity means thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize & do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it. Here’s a tip to express your creativity: Ask yourself the next you’re faced with challenge to think outside of the box. Notice what stops your creativity. Continue to rumble when you are problem solving using your creative mind!
Judgment: We love our friends who are so good at looking at all sides of a situation before making a decision. They aren’t easily manipulated, and are good at resisting suggestions. These are the friends we need around when we are quick to make rash decision; right? What you see being expressed is your friend’s strength of judgment. Judgment connects to the virtue of wisdom. Judgment peeps are good at thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence, weighing all evidence fairly. Here’s an exercise to boost your judgment strength: challenge your personal biases & opinions by seeking information that runs counter to your beliefs, attitudes, & behaviors.
Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence: Have you ever stopped to observe a flower, a tree, mountain, or the ocean & felt awe struck? You saw something beyond the tangibleness, and couldn’t quite take your eyes off of it. We like to say you’ve awakened your strength of appreciation of beauty & excellence friend. This strength means noticing & appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience. We encourage you to take time each day to notice beauty in either nature, art, or in the moral goodness of others.
Kindness: A few friends come to our mind when we ponder on the kindness strength. They are the do good for other people; people. The kindness strength means doing favors and god deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them. It’s one of the top 5 most prevalent character strengths across the globe. It’s power absorbs some of our stress & trauma. To also point out, kindness toward oneself reaps numerous benefits including optimism, connectedness to others, and mastery of goals. Over the next week, write down when you observe another practicing kindness, and when you do as well.

Are you ready to dive into your Strengths?

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Want more? We talk all about Strengths in our 1:1 coaching sessions and our group coaching platform HighPer Space. Ready to say YES to unblocking what’s holding you back and use your strengths to elevate your life? Shoot us a note. We’d love to chat.

Wishing you your YES,