Time Required
Every day for a week. Time required each day will vary depending on how you choose to exercise your strengths.
How to Do It
- Take a moment to think about one of your personal strengths—for instance, creativity, perseverance, kindness, modesty, or curiosity. Consider how you could use this strength today in a new and different way. For example, if you choose the personal strength of perseverance, you might make a list of tasks that you have found challenging recently, then try to tackle each one of them. Or if you choose curiosity, you might attempt an activity that you’ve never tried before.
- Describe in writing the personal strength you plan to use today and how you are going to use it. Then, go ahead and do it—act on your strength as frequently as possible throughout the day.
- Repeat the steps above every day for a week. You may use the same personal strength across multiple days, or try using a new personal strength each day.
- At the end of the week, write about the personal strengths that you focused on during the week and how you used them. Write in detail about what you did, how you felt, and what you learned from the experience.
Why You Should Try It
Sometimes we give our weaknesses and limitations more attention than our strengths. Yet research suggests that thinking about personal strengths can increase our happiness and reduce depression.
This exercise asks you to identify one of your personal strengths—a positive trait that contributes to your character, such as kindness or perseverance—and consider how you could use it in a new and different way. Recognizing and exercising these strengths can make them stronger and better equip you to meet life’s challenges.
Why It Works
While working to improve shortcomings is important for well-being, it is also important to nurture our strengths and put them to use. Reflecting on these strengths can help remind people that they do have important positive qualities, and this reminder can build confidence and self-esteem—and, in turn, increase happiness. Putting strengths to use can help enhance them, and using strengths in new and different ways can reveal how useful these strengths can be in a range of contexts.
Evidence That It Works
Seligman, M. E., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410-421.
People tried using a personal strength each day for one week. Compared with those who didn’t try to use a strength—instead they wrote about early memories every day for a week—those who identified and used their strengths reported an increase in happiness and a decrease in symptoms of depression immediately after the one-week experiment, and those changes persisted six months later.
Sources
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
Kristin Layous, Ph.D., California State University, East Bay
Comments
and Reviews
Fressia Cerna
Perseverance. I am doing this exercise in this moment. I try to stay put in what I am doing until i is done right. I tend to multitask and sometimes it makes efforts longer. So I am focusing on one thing and only.
Fressia Cerna
Perseverance. I am doing this exercise in this moment. I try to stay put in what I am doing until i is done right. I tend to multitask and sometimes it makes efforts longer. So I am focusing on one thing and only.
Nilza Rivera
Always developing myself and seeing life as one more challenge to achieve a goal. I can build myself on improving the things I noticed are not a skill and I can be better to the community, friends and family when I contribute to them what I am good at.
Borja Palacios
It is good to analyze and reflect on the things we have and how lucky we are. In every aspect and individuall
sundus
My strengths creativity ,curiosity for life long learning ,keeping tranquility in the surrounding. I need to focus on perseverance and time management skill. Due to distractions I have made my important non urgent into urgent task. I need to discipline in that. Moreover, my goal of 2018 is improving quality of physical ,spiritual and marital life . This week ,I would focus on accomplishing my pending all previous task on time and date.
Sharon Frank
This week, I will be focusing on using my kindness in interactions with co-workers I dislike, and with my vulnerable and frustrated patients, to help them better understand and accept their physical and emotional conditions.
Monica KhANNA
Today my strength is planning my schedule and practice it. I am creating a new organized timeline to complete my tasks before 9 am every morning. I am looking forward to continuing to improve my time management skills.
Monica KhANNA
My strength is my intention to be disciplined to continue my daily schedule. This practice has improved my quality of relationship around me with friends and family especially with myself 😊
Rodrigo Baena
Love it! One variation is to think about the past: "How could you have used your strengths yesterday, or do it at the end of the day". It pushes us to use what I called "fast memory action", helping us to act faster each time.
Pierre Isabelle
I didn't see much effect to the practice itself.
Fide De Viáncha
Me hace recordar que tengo mas cosas positivas que negativas
Hilda Hernandez
Ihad forgotten my strengths and my perseverance to make things happen and after read this article I stratr to work with them again
Stephanie Glazar
I had forgotten about my creativity and after reading this article about using your strength, I will think outside the box when it comes to completing my ever increasing to-do list!
Bob Mila Nelson
Most of my personal strengths are not of much use now.
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.
The Greater Good Toolkit
Made in collaboration with Holstee, this tookit includes 30 science-based practices for a meaningful life.