“The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must” – Thucydides (460BC)
Strengths – we all have them. However, most people don’t, or can’t, name them when asked. Sad, but true. I’m not sure why this phenomenon is occurring with more regularity than it should. It seems that an underlying theme I see uncovering is pervasive negative thoughts that are either leading people down paths they are not ready to go on, or don’t want to go on but are unsure how to stop themselves.
I also see people who feel paralyzed by anger and fear and are unhappy, anxious and depressed. They feel demoralized and worried about how they are going to manage in today’s economy, whether it is regarding their job or their lives.
Negative thoughts eat at you, chipping away every day. These present as feeling afraid, inadequate, lonely, and as if we’ve done something wrong. But, whether you know it or not, your thoughts are not correct. They are our perceptions of events. Our thoughts do not define us.
The good news is that we can overcome these negative thoughts to feel happy and to move forward on our goals and dreams. Before we can do this, we have to uncover these negative thoughts to look at how maladaptive they really are. As an exercise, keep track of all the negatives you think or hear for one week, whether they are from yourself or others. Only when you become more aware of these thoughts, can you deter them and the bad feelings that come with them.
Once you have a handle on your thoughts, you can begin to see the possibilities for your life. You will be operating from a strength-based approach. You’re probably wondering how your strengths will help you reach your goals and dreams. When you use your strengths, you can accomplish so much more in your life. You will act decisively and have more confidence. You will not allow the past to be your guide.
An exercise I like to give to my clients, and I encourage you to use, is to SWOT yourself. The SWOT is a tool that businesses use to determine and keep their competitive advantage. I think this tool is effective for use in our personal life as well. Write down – not just keep in your head- the following:
S = Strengths
These are all the qualities, talents, achievements, coping skills, etc. you possess. If you’re not sure, ask others.
W = Weaknesses (I prefer challenges)
These are areas that are keeping you fearful, angry, sad and prevent you from moving forward.
O = Opportunities
These are areas where you can alter or change, whether that’s with your thoughts or your actions, or both
T = Threats
These are influences, with inside or outside, that can affect our thoughts, actions or the outcome
Conclusion
I find this tool is a real eye-opener and can be the start of uncovering your strengths; this is the first step in learning how to use them to achieve a level of success, that you define, and lead to lasting changes in your life. Your strengths are part of you and the first step is to own that strength – to make it part of your awareness. Use it daily, in all you do, so that it becomes natural to you; you won’t have to “think” when you need to work on a goal. You will know what to do and how to do it. Your strengths will naturally take you where it is you want to go. You won’t have to have indecision in your life, or need to have others approval – your thoughts and wants will be good enough.
If you need to, write your strengths on a notecard or sticky note and post them where you can see them, like on your bathroom mirror or in your car. This will help to remind you and keep them visible. Use the power of your mind to keep you focused and in action-mode. You will that yourself becoming more confident, powerful, and achieving more than you ever dreamed of. So, use those uncovered strengths to take action and to be the successful you!
Ian Pratt
Excellent, it is a great application of the SWOT tool to identify your own strengths and weaknesses. What would be a great help would be a list of characteristics that would fit into either strengths or weaknesses. Such as Marketing you are either strong or weak at it, networking, selling / service / closing the sale / making a pitch …
Great article
Chanda Hester
This article is equally enlightening as it is inspiring. Dr. Seifert has always written quality articles, and she is in tune with today’s key issues in the workplace. As a newly appointed director, I will use this tool and possibly others will be enlightened and empowered. Dr. Seifert is truly committed to success!!
-Chanda
Holly - The Work at Home Woman
Hi Haneef,
Thanks for the comment. I agree this is a great tool to help you define where you are going and what your goals are.
Haneef N. Nelson
Great Post. I’ve used the SWOT analysis in a previous job as part of annual performance evaluations and training assessments. Thanks for the reminder of such a useful tool!
-Haneef