Strength Finding: 57 Questions, Exercises & ActivitiesWhat are your strengths? Check out these activities and self-reflection questions to get a better idea of your areas of strength.
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Are you struggling to find your strengths? In this article, we'll help you evaluate a variety of different parts of yourself to identify which ones are your strengths. Exploring these parts of yourself can help you prepare for job interviews, pursue opportunities that are a good fit for you, and even boost your well-being.
Before we dive in, we thought you might be interested in taking our well-being quiz to get your free personalized report. Or, if you're a well-being entrepreneur or coach, download our Wellness Business Growth eBook to get expert tips, tools, and resources to grow your wellness business fast. What Are Strengths?Strengths can be knowledge, traits, skills, and talents that are considered positive. In theory, we should know our own strengths--we are the ones who have them, right?! But knowing our strengths means knowing ourselves, knowing how we compare to others, and knowing how others see us. All this makes it a bit tricky to evaluate our strengths. That's why doing exercises to find our strengths can be helpful. We might ask ourselves questions, reflect on past experiences, or ask our friends to find our strengths.
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Leadership: I take charge.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Friendliness: I make friends easily. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Creativity: I like to solve complex problems. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Toughness: I am not embarrassed easily. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Curiosity: I like to know how things work. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Good memory: I can handle a lot of information. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Adaptability: I adapt easily to new situations. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Cautiousness: I tend to take precautions. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rationality: I do things in a logical order. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Ingenuity: I am full of ideas. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Imaginative: I have a vivid imagination. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Persistence: I don't quit a task before it's finished. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Trustworthy: I keep my promises. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sociable: I am able to fit into any situation. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Adventurous: I prefer variety to routine. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fearlessness: I face danger confidently. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Patience: I am usually a patient person. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Wisdom: I have a broad outlook on what is going on. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Liveliness: I maintain high energy throughout the day. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Acceptance: I take things as they come. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Empathy: I feel others' emotions. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
Competence: I come up with good solutions.
Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Calmness: I am relaxed most of the time. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Trusting: I trust what people say. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Caring: I know how to comfort others. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Playful: I have a lot of fun. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Poise: I remain calm under pressure. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Intellectual: I am quick to understand things. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 High-achieving: I do more than what's expected of me. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Team-player: I enjoy being part of a group. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fair: I treat all people equally. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Forgiving: I let bygones be bygones. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Optimistic: I look on the bright side. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kind: I am never too busy to help a friend. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Self-control: I am a highly disciplined person. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bravery: I have taken frequent stands in the face of strong opposition. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Modesty: I don't act as if I'm a special person. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Originality: I am able to come up with new and different ideas. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Organized: I keep things tidy. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Grateful: I stop to count my blessings. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tolerance: I accept people as they are. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Romanticism: I see beauty in things others might not notice. Strongly disagree Strongly agree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
*questions were drawn from research at ipip.ori.org.
If you want to find even more strengths, here's a huge list of character strengths.
If you want to find even more strengths, here's a huge list of character strengths.
Video: How to Focus on Strengths
Strengths Finding Exercises
In addition to asking yourself questions to find your strengths, it can be helpful to do other activities to help you better understand your strengths and how to use them effectively. Here are few strength finding exercises you may enjoy:
Strength finding exercise 1: Imagine your best self
Take a moment now to imagine the best possible version of yourself in the future (Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006). Try to be as specific as possible by thinking about the best possible life you can imagine. Ask yourself, who would you be? What would be your strengths and how would you be using them? Where would you be? What would you be doing?
Strength finding exercise 2: Reflect more deeply on your positive qualities
Once you know some of your character strengths, take a moment to reflect on how these strengths affect your life. What do you do that shows these strengths? What are the positive impacts of these strengths on your life? And how do your strengths benefit others? Think through what it actually means that you have these strengths.
Strength finding exercise 3: Build your strengths
We often want to work on our weaknesses, but we can also work on making our strengths even stronger. Take a moment to think about how you could get even better at one of your strengths, turning it into a super-strength. Might you practice using your strength more often? Get feedback from others on how to improve this strength? Or, ask yourself, might you use this strength in new contexts or situations? Building on our strengths can actually be an easy and beneficial way to improve our skills.
Strength finding exercise 1: Imagine your best self
Take a moment now to imagine the best possible version of yourself in the future (Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006). Try to be as specific as possible by thinking about the best possible life you can imagine. Ask yourself, who would you be? What would be your strengths and how would you be using them? Where would you be? What would you be doing?
Strength finding exercise 2: Reflect more deeply on your positive qualities
Once you know some of your character strengths, take a moment to reflect on how these strengths affect your life. What do you do that shows these strengths? What are the positive impacts of these strengths on your life? And how do your strengths benefit others? Think through what it actually means that you have these strengths.
Strength finding exercise 3: Build your strengths
We often want to work on our weaknesses, but we can also work on making our strengths even stronger. Take a moment to think about how you could get even better at one of your strengths, turning it into a super-strength. Might you practice using your strength more often? Get feedback from others on how to improve this strength? Or, ask yourself, might you use this strength in new contexts or situations? Building on our strengths can actually be an easy and beneficial way to improve our skills.
A Few More Examples of Strengths
Here are some more strengths to explore. Do you think you have any of these?
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Strength Finding Activities
Here are a few other free strength-finding tools and activities from reliable sources around the web.
- VIA character strength test. One of the most well-known and respected strength-finding tests is the VIA character strength test. It's based on research and free to the public.
- Use your strengths activity. This activity was created by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and can help you think about how to use your strengths.
Strength Finding (SWOT) Analysis
SWOT analysis is another tool that can be used to evaluate the ‘strengths’, ‘weaknesses’, ‘opportunities’, and ‘threats’ involved in any plan, project, or activity (Gürel & Tat, 2017). Although SWOT analysis is a tool that is most often used by businesses, it may also be useful in helping us think about any goal or project we would like to pursue.
Strengths and weaknesses are our internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors. It is thought that SWOT is a useful strategic planning tool. By knowing more about where you (or your project) is strong or weak, you can make more informed decisions about what to pursue or what to do next (Gürel & Tat, 2017).
Strengths and weaknesses are our internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors. It is thought that SWOT is a useful strategic planning tool. By knowing more about where you (or your project) is strong or weak, you can make more informed decisions about what to pursue or what to do next (Gürel & Tat, 2017).
Strength Finding Articles
Want to keep using your strengths? Check out these related articles to keep learning.
Books Related to Strength Finding
If you’d like to keep learning more about strength finding, here are a few books that you might be interested in.
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References
- Gürel, E., & Tat, M. (2017). SWOT analysis: a theoretical review. Journal of International Social Research, 10(51).
- Proyer, R. T., Gander, F., Wellenzohn, S., & Ruch, W. (2015). Strengths-based positive psychology interventions: A randomized placebo-controlled online trial on long-term effects for a signature strengths-vs. a lesser strengths-intervention. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 456.
- Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410-421.
- Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006). How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(2), 73-82.
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