Identify your strengths

Using what you’re good at to make change easier

Why It’s Important to Know Your Strengths

When people think about change, they often focus on what’s missing. What’s broken. What needs fixing. What they’re not good at.

But that’s only half the picture.

You also bring strengths, skills and traits to the table, whether or not you’ve ever stopped to name them. Recognising your strengths doesn’t mean pretending everything’s perfect. It just means getting honest about what’s working, not just what’s wrong.

Here’s why this matters:

• Working to your strengths is one of the most efficient ways to make progress.
  You don’t have to rebuild yourself from scratch. You can build on what’s already there.
• If you only see your weaknesses and never your strengths, you’re half blind to reality.
  You’ll miss opportunities to use what you already know how to do, especially under pressure.
• Realising you have more strengths than you thought can be a powerful motivator.
  It boosts confidence, improves decision-making and helps you trust yourself more.

How to Identify Your Strengths

We’re going to approach this from two angles. First, how you see yourself. Then, how the people who know you best see you. After that, you’ll tie it all together in a way that feels personal and true.

Step 1: Reflect on Your Own Strengths

Below is a list of 24 character strengths. These aren’t qualifications or skills. They’re ways of behaving, thinking and responding to the world around you.

What to do:

• Read through the list one by one
• Ask yourself, “Have I ever shown this, even in a small way?”
• If yes, write a short sentence describing that moment in your notebook

Example:
Creativity – I used to find inventive ways to cook healthy meals on a tight budget.

Don’t worry about sounding impressive. If it’s true, it counts.

Strength	Explanation	Your example
Appreciation of beauty and excellence	Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence or skilled performance in all aspects of life
Bravery	Not shrinking from threat, challenge or difficulty
Caution	Not saying or doing things that might later be regretted
Creativity	Thinking of new and productive ways to do things
Curiosity	Taking an interest in experiences
Enthusiasm	Approaching life with excitement and energy
Fairness	Treating all people the same according to a sense of equality and justice
Forgiveness	Forgiving those who have done wrong
Gratitude	Being aware of and thankful for good things that happen
Honesty	Speaking the truth and being genuine
Hope/Optimism	Expecting the best and working to achieve it
Humour	Liking to laugh and joke and bring smiles to other people
Kindness	Doing favours and good deeds for others
Leadership	Organising group activities and making sure they happen
Love	Valuing close relationships with others
Love of learning	Mastering new skills, topics and knowledge
Modesty	Letting your accomplishments speak for themselves
Open-mindedness	Thinking things through and examining them from all sides
Perseverance	Finishing what you start
Perspective	Being able to provide wise advice to others
Self-control	Controlling what you say and do
Sociability	Being aware of the motives and feelings of yourself and others
Spirituality	Believing in the higher purpose and meaning of life
Teamwork	Working well as a member of a group or team

Step 2: Ask People Who Know You Well

Sometimes others see our strengths more clearly than we do.

What to do:

• Show the same list of 24 character strengths to two or three people you trust
• Ask them, “Which of these do you think I show?  Even just a little?”
• Invite them to give examples, then write a short sentence for each one

Example:
“My sister said I showed perseverance when I kept attending physio even though I hated it at first.”

You don’t have to agree with everything they say, but listen openly. Sometimes it takes a second to recognise yourself in a compliment.

Step 3: Pull It All Together

Now that you’ve gathered a few examples from yourself and others, it’s time to connect the dots.

Look through everything you’ve written and highlight the examples that stand out. These are the ones that feel most like you at your best.

• In your notebook, write the ones that stand out.
• Then, complete one or more of the following sentences:
  • One strength I bring with me is…
  • People can rely on me to…
  • When things get tough, I tend to…
  • I feel most proud of myself when I…
  • Others often tell me I am good at…

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