In considering how to WOW others, it is first important to WOW yourself. This takes time and insight that some people get to somewhat naturally, while others seem to struggle with. I believe its a matter of patience and quest. If you are on a quest to fix your weaknesses, your strengths will never be readily apparent. If, on the other hand, you are on a quest and open to finding your strengths - you will have true power as it says above.
Recently I have been going through a certification process to become a Strengths Coach. The method and model are part of a program from Gallup (yes the pollsters) who acquired the model and assessment from the late Dr. Donald Clifton. The premise is that when we apply knowledge and skill to our God-given talents, we are far more effective and powerful than when we try to fix our weaknesses.
In many ways, as human beings, we have a hard time not focusing on our weaknesses. How many times have you been offered compliments on an outstanding job and a simple criticism/room for improvement on the same job. What is the thing we go to bed laboring over in our minds? The criticism/room for improvement comment. While it's important to always be in a state of continual improvement as a human being, we should not work to become perfect at everything. If we focus on our strengths and look for others to help us address our weaknesses - we will be most effective in whatever role/job/position we are in.
When we look at "Changing the Face...", what if we looked at our strengths and applied those in our world? Rather than reacting to the potential insecurities that others have with their own weaknesses, let's acknowledge what they are good at. This may seem extremely obvious, but we don't tend to do this in our conversations. As a parent, we always strive to acknowledge what our children are good at. Then as adults, we might assume that others "have this all figured out" and don't necessarily need to be acknowledged for their strengths. Not so - we all LOVE to know when we've done a good job, it allows for the pride and job of knowing you made a difference to shine through your being.
Why not start today by acknowledging your own strengths and acknowledging the strengths in those around you. You will shine and others will shine and we will all regain our power during this tumultuous times.
If you are interested in taking the Gallup assessment and identifying your Top 5 Themes of Strength, simply purchase one of the Gallup books StrengthsFinder 2.0, Living Your Strengths (Catholic Edition), or Strengths-Based Leadership. Each book has an individual code that is used for the online assessment that you take to uncover your areas of talent/strength. If you need any support, please let me know and I'm happy to help.
Questions to ponder: What do you love to do? Is there a particular strength that you have that you have compromised in search of a weakness to fix?
Who in your family/community can support you in developing your strengths and helping you shine? Who can you help shine today?
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