There are three types of abilities you can have. The first being strengths; these are assumed to come natural to an individual. Then there is; skills which are learned through training or experience. Lastly there is talent and talent is an innate ability that comes from a strong biological background. The difference between a strength and a talent is a talent is a strength passed down a generation or more. From a paper by Ryan M. Niemiec. He says most people are unaware of their strengths. So you have strengths, skills and talents.

Let us concentrate on what strengths are and how to see them. Because they come easily, many people downplay their strengths. They often think oh everyone can do that. It is easy so there is nothing special about my ability to do it. The truth is it is special, it comes easily because it is a strength. There are many people that it doesn’t come easy to. If you had to work at it then it is a skill. You might be here because you do not have a strong understanding of your strengths, skills and talents. Strengths do need to be practiced to remain strong, they can be lost if not used. Strengths reflect people’s individuality, their true core, and allow them to be their best selves. According to Don Clifton there are four themes that strength can be divided into. Strategic thinking the first would be things like analytical, context, futuristic thinking or strategic thinking. To name a few. Next is relationship building; things like connectedness, empathy, positivity, or realtor are some of the different relationship building strengths you can have. Then there is Influencing; which includes things like competition, maximizer, communicator, and self assurance. Lastly there is executing; and people can have strengths like achiever, arranger, consistency, and focus. So it is important to know and concentrate on our strengths.

So to get started and zeroing in on your strengths you can ask 5 people that you know and trust (the last part is important, they need to be those you can trust to provide the info that you are seeking) it is important that they are trustworthy in giving you truthfully their thoughts on your strengths. This feedback can help you in discovering your strengths. After you get all five lists you want to compile them. Find out which overlap. Then you can hone in on your ideas as to what your strengths are. You can also look at what you want to spend your time doing each day. You will find that you spend more time on things you like and are good at. You likely will gravitate to things that you are good at.

Once you find your strengths it is important to spend time on things that fit them. This means saying no and subtracting out things that do not fit your strengths like we talked about in episode 175. Double down and learn more about your strengths and how to implement them. Find skills that you can add that will increase your abilities with your strengths. Push your strengths and your comfort zone. Branch out to find new skills to upgrade your strengths.

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