Aiming Your Strengths
We all have talents: Natural patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that we can productively apply.
But having talent isn’t enough.
First, we need to clearly identify those talents – to define what they are and what they mean to us. We need to name them.
We need to understand those talents – to recognize how they show up in our lives and work and to appreciate the power they bring us. We need to claim them.
Then we need to apply those talents – to intentionally use them in specific situations so that we can build real strengths. We need to aim them.
Name, claim, aim. This is the process of developing our talents into strengths.
And why does it matter?
In connection with its work with the CliftonStrengths tool®, the Gallup organization has found that people who “live in the strengths zone” and use their strengths regularly report having a quality of life that is three times higher than those who don’t.
If your life is about as high-quality as you can possibly imagine, then skip the rest of this blog.
If you’re human like the rest of us, read on.
In this blog, I’m going to share an example of aiming my strengths. While the specifics of your life and work are different, I’m hoping that you’ll be able to relate to the process. At the end, I’ll walk you through an easy way for you to apply this to your life.
To get started, think of a current challenge you’re facing in your life and work. This can be a goal you’d like to achieve, a problem you need to address, or a habit you’d like to build.
Got one in mind? Great. Let’s dive in.
What We Don’t Have
Living a strengths-based life sounds fabulous (and it is!), but it also takes work. It requires us to fight against the gravitational pull of focusing on the negative: how hard something is, what resources we don’t have, the obstacles in our way.
If I’m not careful, I can let “default thinking” creep into my mindset. “Default thinking” is allowing the gravity of the negative to pull my thoughts into the unproductive realm of bemoaning my situation.
Case in point:
A current challenge I’m facing in my professional life is growing my audience, specifically my email list.
If I’m not intentional about fighting against that default, gravitational pull, I can start to bemoan the CliftonStrengths talent themes that I don’t have.
If only I had high WOO, then it would be easier for me to connect with lots of people and get them to like and follow me.
If only I had high Ideation, it would be easier for me to think of more and better ideas for blogs and social media posts.
I can get envious of others who exhibit traits often connected to talent themes that I believe would somehow make this task easier.
Well, it’s easy for her – she clearly has high Communication talents, so she can simply and naturally tell compelling stories in her posts!
I wish I had her unbridled Positivity – I see the natural high enthusiasm she has and the way that people respond to her!
When you think about the challenge you’ve called to mind as your example, what are the negatives that you can be tempted to complain about? Specifically, what are the talents that you think you LACK to be able to address this challenge successfully?
We Have What We Need
Living a strengths-based life prompts me to flip that envy and complaining upside down. I remind myself that I’ve been abundantly gifted with a set of unique talents that the world desperately needs (otherwise God wouldn’t have created me this way!).
I remind myself that I can apply any talent toward any goal – I just need to be intentional – and occasionally creative! – to do that.
When it comes to challenges and goals, here’s my strengths-based strategy:
Before I create the plan of specific actions I’ll need to take to address the challenge or meet the goal, I consider how I can apply each of my top talents to that issue. Sometimes I look at those talents individually, sometimes in combination with each other.
Then, because difficult challenges often come with lulls in energy, slumps in motivation, or a sense of feeling lost or behind, whenever I review the action plan for that project, I take a moment to remind myself of those talents and how I’m leveraging them.
Here’s an example of what that sounds like when it comes my current list building challenge:
I can grow my list successfully if I stay true to who I am and how I’m wired, and lean into these talents:
Achiever – I am setting a challenging, but achievable goal to motivate me, and I know that my Achiever talents will give me the determination and stamina to work hard toward this goal.
Belief + Connectedness – I am reminded that my overall motivation is not numbers, it’s about living out my calling to help others use their gifts and live their purpose. So while I grow my list, I’ll remember that my real goal is connecting with the right people, and I can trust that if I speak/write with passion, those who resonate with what I have to share will find me.
Relator – Relator reminds me that each “subscriber” is a person with hopes, dreams, and needs who I want to get to know and to nurture. Compelling content will come when I commit to write blogs from my heart and experience that speak to the hearts of others. I’ll leverage my strong and deep existing relationships (with people like you!) to grow my audience.
Intellection – A prerequisite for list growth is knowing my audience and how I help them. My Intellection talents prompt me to think more deeply about who I serve, what problems I solve, and how to convey that in compelling messaging.
Strategic + Deliberative + Input – I researched options for people and programs who could help me with this goal. I weighed options and pros/cons, sought opinions to help me reduce risks and concerns, and ultimately chose to sign up for a program that I believe will help.
Input + Achiever – I’ll commit 100% to this program, do all the lessons, and work very hard at all the action steps. Ultimately, having expert advice and guidance will help me work smarter, not harder.
Individualization – While I’ll enjoy learning from this program, I’ll take what I learn and personalize the recommendations for me and my strengths. I have to build my business in an authentic way that honors my values and utilizes my strengths.
Significance – Significance will help me when I’m tempted to be shy, to play small, to resist posting or asking for a referral. Significance tells me that I have something of value to offer… I can help people lead better lives – lives that are less scattered and stressed and more aligned and authentic. I can help people experience more peace and joy in their lives and in our world. I need to share this.
Aim YOUR Strengths
Like I said earlier, my example probably doesn’t relate to your life and work, and you certainly don’t have the same top 10 talents that I do. But I hope I’ve given you plenty of examples above of how a variety of talents can be aimed toward a goal.
So now it’s your turn!
Take that challenge or goal that you identified earlier and consider how each of your top talents can help you create success.
You can do it as a list, or if you prefer a more graphic way of outlining it, try this:
Grab a blank sheet of paper. In the middle, write that current goal or challenge that you're facing. Now draw lines with arrows pointing in toward that goal, and label each line with one of your top strengths (top 5, top 10, whatever you know).
Look at each "strength arrow" and write down how you might use that talent to help you reach that goal or address that challenge. Consider how some of your talents might combine together to help you in particular ways. You might just surprise yourself with some creative new ways you can leverage your talents!
Whether you make a list or create a “strengths target” diagram, your chances of “hitting the bullseye” and achieving your goal just increased exponentially!
Now all you need to do is make sure that you review that plan frequently while you work toward that goal. You’d be amazed at how empowering it is to remind yourself that you really do have what you need to be successful!
I can’t wait to hear how this works for you, so be sure to email me with new insights and stories of how you learned to aim your strengths towards your success!
Like this blog?
Everything I shared above about wanting to grow my list and how I hope to do it is a “real, live example” and is 100% true. And, because of my Relator talents, I’d love to ask you – my friend and loyal reader – to share this blog with a friend. Tell them what you enjoy about my posts, and encourage them to subscribe. I’d be truly grateful!