If you have been struggling to find your strengths, then answer these four questions.
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1. What skills have helped you succeed in anything?
As a child or student, you probably had to develop some useful skills. Successful consultant Scott Edinger grew up in a low-income family, and at the age of nine, he was adopted by another not very successful family. Life circumstances prompted him to develop communication skills, conflict resolution, persuasion of people, and an understanding of their psychology.
At university, he honed his communication skills. Taking part in hundreds of debates, Edinger was ranked in the top five performers. He subsequently received a degree in Communication and Rhetoric. After graduation, he became the number two salesperson at one of the largest US companies. He advised other organizations on sales, one of the most important skills in the business world.
Of course, not everyone’s difficulties in childhood help them become as successful as Scott Edinger. However, in your life, you probably ran into obstacles that you were able to overcome.
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Think about these situations. Do they have something in common? Something that helped you cope with problems? This is what you are strong at. Now you need to figure out which field of activity these skills will be useful to you.
2. What gives you strength?
Think about what makes you feel energized and ready for new challenges. This will help you identify your strengths. Also, remember what you start doing when you feel tired or overwhelmed. At such moments, we want to take control of the situation. To do this, you do what gives you strength.
By identifying what kind of activity gives you energy, you can prevail over many problems in the future.
3. What made you stand out from other children as a child?
As a child, we do what we like, even if it looks strange from the outside. If you remember your childhood hobbies, you can surely reveal your hidden, long-forgotten abilities.
Candice Brown, Elliott’s classmates teased her and called her Brown Encyclopedia after the character in the same name – a boy detective. They considered Candice the smartest, although the teachers had a different opinion. The girl herself dreamed of having lively conversations with famous people, developing artificial intelligence that would fit in her closet, building floating cities, and inventing new types of art.
40 years later, she had 90 patents on her account. Her most famous invention is the PenTile matrix, a type of liquid crystal display used in millions of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and televisions. She founded a company to develop this technology and then sold it to Samsung.
Elliott’s childhood dreams surprised classmates and annoyed teachers. But in adulthood, her inclinations became her superpowers. Think; maybe you were doing something as a child that made you stand out from others?
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4. What compliments do you prefer to ignore?
Often, we don’t notice our strengths. If you are used to doing something well, it’s straightforward to overlook it and not pay too much attention to your skill. Therefore, listen to compliments that you usually ignore because you are sure that there is nothing unusual in your abilities.
The tendency to ignore compliments is understandable, but it can lead to the fact that you will sell your skills at prices much lower than their real value.
This will hurt your career because work and talent must be appreciated and paid for.
If something is given to you very easily, this does not mean that every person has these abilities. Review your resume; you may have overlooked some skills that will set you apart from other employees.
- Adapted and translated by Wiki Avenue Staff
Sources: Life hacker
