HOW ARE YOUR CHARACTER STRENGTHS SUPPORTING WELL-BEING?

It’s that time of month where I like to share some inspirational wellness considerations for both you and your workplace to explore. And this time, I’m taking a slightly different approach as I’m leading with a statement for you to reflect on.

Identify two character strengths that you feel have contributed significantly to your well-being and achievement.

This is the writing prompt that was posed to me in a recent professional development assignment. I thought I’d share my personal findings with you while also sharing some great reading and resources on this very topic.

For context, you can explore 24 characters strengths here.

Firstly, I’d encourage you to read this article that provides fascinating insights around which character strengths are most predictive of well-being: Which Character Strengths Are Most Predictive of Well-Being? - Scientific American Blog Network. From there, I’d encourage you to read what I’ve shared below and to do your very own reflection, too. (You could even use this exercise as a team building activity in your next departmental meeting.)

Here's how I responded:

If I had to describe my strengths in just one sentence, it would be this: I'm always looking for the learning and opportunities to create. For slightly more context, I'm also someone who strongly prefers to self-manage and, as such, have been a self-employed entrepreneur most of my life (from age 26 to present day 42). I thrive in environments where I can lean into what interests me most and I am inspired by having infinite opportunities to create in my day-to-day operations and life.

To me, looking for learning doesn't only refer to looking back in time to see what lessons and takeaways I have gained from the situation or past events. It also speaks to looking forward in the sense that I seek out that which interests me – that which piques my curiosity and/or topics I want to understand better for the benefit of applying it to my life and work. I do believe it's my love of learning that has me continually looking for it in all ways. This doesn't mean I'm the best student. Truth be told, I'm so independent that I want to do the learning my way and that doesn't always jive with the course curriculum. ;) This strength has resulted in a career and life in which I am never bored and continually reflecting and/or researching what's next. I'm engaged in shaping my life based on my love of learning.

At a younger age, creativity (to me) referred to the arts exclusively. And do I love the arts? I sure do. But as an adult, I have a much different interpretation and experience of creativity. It now holds much broader and more spiritual possibilities. Creativity is a strength that allows me to put meaningful things (products, services, experiences, writing and yes, traditional art) out into the universe for others to enjoy along with me. Tapping into my ability to create and be creative allows me to stay consistently inspired about what's possible. This in turn seems to fill my hope bucket while also providing a strong sense of connection to not only others on this planet but our creator as well.

I often say that I wish I could bottle some of these feelings to share them with others. In this moment, I'm realizing that in many ways, I can. I help people to lean into their strengths and to see all of the magic readily available to them. I see positive psychology (and its evidence-based practices) as something transformational for people of all ages and I'm grateful to have the tools to help people bottle these positive emotions themselves.

Learn more about characters strengths, and access resources, here.

Author: Katy Tombaugh