[Part 2a] Strong Foundation: 3 Ways to Identify Your Natural Strengths

If we are not careful, we can waste alot of time pursuing a life plan, spinning our wheels working towards something that is not our strong suit. Avoid this wasted time by laying a strong foundation based on your natural strengths and talents.

To accomplish this, ask yourself, “what skills do I have to start with?” I think this is a vital question, and it has helped me immensely as I am moving down my own path.  For a long time, I thought I needed to fit into some kind of preconceived box to be successful in life.  I would get down on myself for not being more such-and-such.

But after listening to numerous speakers and reading several articles, I learned that I needed to recognize the skills I already had and capitalize on those.  Giving myself permission to do this has led to faster progress and more fulfilling experiences as I’ve worked towards my goals.

Here are a few suggestions to gain insights into your talents and strengths:

1. Consider the types of things you enjoy doing.  Are you creative or analytical? Are you adventurous or do you like to play it safe? Do you like being around people, or do you keep to yourself?  In what environment are you most comfortable, and what brings out your best self?

2. Talk to the people closest to you.  Sometimes we can’t see what talents we have because we are too close to them.  Getting the outside perspectives of trusted people can help us see our strengths.  Don’t disregard their perspective.  They may tell you about a skill they admire and you’ll be tempted to think, “It’s not that difficult, anyone can do that.”  The truth is anyone can do it, but you do it naturally and well.

3. Use outside resources.  ALERT: my first two suggestions are free to do, but this one is not.  However, I think it’s very important.  There are a number of tests you can take to help identify all kinds of things about yourself: personality type, interpersonal skills, natural aptitude, etc.  I’ve paid to do a few of them, and they’ve each given me some insight about myself. The three that I’ve done are:

• the DISC Assessment ($29.95 from Dave Ramsey, or $29 from this site, although I haven’t confirmed if it’s the same test)

• StrengthsFinder ($15 for top 5 strengths, or $89 for the complete report), and

• Gallup Entrepreneurial Profile 10 ($12)

Another popular test is Myers-Briggs ($49.95). I have not taken it yet, but I probably will in the future. Info about it here. Purchase it here. To be transparent, I do NOT get any money if you use these links. Google searches for “career test” gave results for many other tests that you may find helpful. I have not verified any of them, but at least it’s a place to start. If you have taken a test that helped you, please leave it in the comments below.

Once you’ve gathered up all this information, take some time to appreciate your talents.  Next week, I’ll pull back the curtain on my process and show you what you can expect. I’ll even give some details on the tests I took so you can decide if they are right for you.