What are YOUR strengths?

There are nine books on my list of “would be great to read over the holidays”. My goal is to read as many of them as possible over the break AND provide a summary here of what I found most interesting for each book. I’ll skip the first book because there are only a few folks who would care to read a post about “100 Things Cubs Fans Should know & Do before they Die”. Even though watching a Cubs game from the Wrigley Field bleachers is something ANY sports fan should do at least once. But I digress…

The second book I just completed today is called “Authentic Happiness” by Martin Seligman. It is a great read with a focus on happiness and positive psychology. There were many great points made in the book but one topic I really enjoyed was the summary of the six most common virtues observed across many cultures, all religions and philosophical traditions, over three thousand years of examples and around every continent on the face of the earth:

·      Wisdom and Knowledge

·      Courage

·      Love and Humanity

·      Justice

·      Temperance

·      Spirituality and Transcendence

The author continues to talk about how each of twenty-four strengths of character enable us to achieve each of the six virtues listed above. If you are interested in taking the survey offered by the author, go to his website here - https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/. Follow the prompts to take the VIA Strengths Survey. You will get some great feedback about your own strengths. But the purpose of his article is to give my take on each of the twenty-four strengths and share some brief thoughts about each one of them.

1.    Curiosity/Interest in the World – more than anything, this is about challenging your own preconceptions. Traveling to other countries and experiencing their cultures and traditions is a great way to tolerate and thrive in the ambiguity of an entirely new and different situation.

2.    Love of Learning – consider the opportunity to learn something new. Speaking of traveling, learning a new language prior to a trip is a great example of discovering a new domain of knowledge.

3.    Judgement/Critical Thinking/Open-Mindedness – looking at information from all sides and perspectives is important. Social Media tends to deliver exactly (and ONLY) what you want or believe (confirmation bias). Instead, challenge yourself to actively seek 2-3 other perspectives on the same topic and then make your own, more informed conclusions.

4.    Ingenuity/Street Smarts – this is all about finding a new way you have never leveraged before to get something done. Back to the travel example, consider how you might find your way around a foreign city without knowing the local language or having traveled those streets previously. And I know a few of you are thinking about using Google Maps on your phone…but you might have to literally rely upon your street smarts to get around without your phone.

5.    Social Intelligence/Emotional Intelligence – consider your own strengths as well as the strengths of others to build teams. As I watched “The Last Dance” during our year of COVID, it was fun to see how the management of the Chicago Bulls added players with specific talents and indivdual strengths to surround Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on their way to winning six NBA Championships over eight years. 

6.    Perspective – think about how you look at and make sense of the world around you. Other people will seek you out for your point of view on a topic to help them make sense of something. For example, I get a lot of questions about relationships and networking from junior employees in our company. I will share my perspectives and lessons learned to help others understand how they should build their own relationships.

7.    Valor and Bravery – these strengths focus on how individuals do not shrink from threats or challenges. My immediate thoughts go to those amazing front line workers who are displaying valor and bravery while dealing with COVID on a daily basis in hospitals, clinics or anywhere else.

8.    Perseverance/Industry/Diligence – what pops into my mind here is the classic “do what you say and say what you do”. This is all about getting the hard “stuff” done. Previously, I referred to a quote typically attributed to Mark Twain about eating a frog as the first thing you do in the morning so that everything else you accomplish that day seems easy in comparison. 

9.    Integrity/Genuineness/Honesty – this is all about being true to yourself and expressing the “real you” to everyone around you. One simple example is making a promise to someone and keeping it.

10. Kindness and Generosity – think about doing a favor for someone else without an expectation of anything in return. Giving your money and/or time to charities or non-profits is a great example of this strength. Empathy and sympathy for others are building blocks of these strengths.

11. Loving and allowing yourself to be loved – you value close and intimate relations with others. While the focus of this strength is on humans, dogs are what come to mind when I think about examples. Every human could learn a thing or two about how unconditional love works between dogs and their owners.

12. Citizenship/Duty/Loyalty – how well you participate in a group and how you value how others’ participation in the same group. My example right now is the recent November election and how more Americans voted than ever before. It was wonderful to see the largest turnout in American history perform their civic duty by voting.

13. Fairness and Equity – everyone deserves the same chance or opportunity to succeed. My favorite sport is golf – mostly because you compete with others based upon your own handicap. The handicap makes a competitive match fair and provides equity to everyone playing.

14. Leadership – there are hundreds of books available about leadership if you need to dig in further here. An effective leader motivates a group to accomplish the overall team objectives. The leadership I saw from small business owners (retail stores, restaurants, bars, hair salons, etc.) and what they did to stay open for business while protecting (and motivating) their employees has been a wonderful display of leadership during this challenging year of COVID.

15. Self-Control – how well you regulate your emotions, desires and impulses during a tough situation demonstrates self-control. I have seen and read about so many stories about how people are remaining cheerful while dealing with the challenges associated with working from home, maintaining social distancing and/or wearing masks in public. 

16. Prudence/Discretion/Caution – how deliberate or careful are you before embarking on a specific course of action? Many of us have leveraged caution with respect to being out in public during this crazy pandemic. The quote I think about here is “better safe than sorry”.

17. Humility and Modesty – if you let your accomplishments speak for themselves and you don’t seek the limelight, this strength might be one of yours. Sir Isaac Newton showed great humility when he talked about his own accomplishments (like discovering that gravity “stuff”) – “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants” – as a small part of a much larger point of view.

18. Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence – nature is what comes to mind for me here…though this applies to science, art, music and many more subjects as well. Think about awe and wonder. While it isn’t a rare sight for my family and friends back in the Midwest, the 2-3 inches of snow we received in Seattle last night was a wonderful viewing experience (before it melted this morning). Throwing snowballs in Seattle last night was an excellent time!

19. Gratitude – this is an appreciation for something others have done. Whether doctors or nurses or anyone on the front lines of this pandemic, I am so grateful for everything these amazing people are doing for so many others during these challenging times.

20. Hope/Optimism/Future-Mindedness – this strength is needed right now more than ever. Aren’t we all thinking about the days in the future when we can travel anywhere, gather in larger groups and enjoy a crowded restaurant or store? My Cubs book made me smile when I think about hanging out with my friends next Fall in Wrigley Field for a baseball game (fingers crossed!!!).

21. Spirituality/Faith/Religiousness – right now is a perfect time of year to think about a higher purpose and the meaning of life. My father died earlier this year and I have spent a lot of time this year thinking about the meaning of life. What is your own philosophy of life?

22. Forgiveness and Mercy – forgiving others who have done you wrong and giving people a second change is a wonderful feeling. Whether your favorite Christmas movie is “A Christmas Carol”, “It’s a Wonderful Life” or even “Elf”, forgiveness for others in the air right now and streaming on one or more of your devices.

23. Playfulness and Humor – laughing and making other people smile is such a wonderful feeling. What is it that you do for fun? My little friend “the Internet” says it takes anywhere from 10-15 muscles to make a smile. Please exercise those muscles as much as you can right now!

24. Zest/Passion/Enthusiasm – I have not taken the test yet but I’m expecting this is one of my own Top Five strengths. I am definitely the “glass is half FULL” person when it comes to new challenges. What gets you up in the morning with passion and a zest for life?

Whether you take this test, some other test (I also like test in the book “StrengthsFinder”), my list above or some other source, I hope you find your own passion in leveraging your strengths towards love, happiness, work, family, friends and/or living your most meaningful life.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays…and now off to book #3 on my list. "See" you soon!