Three Ways to Build on Your Strengths
Are you looking for ways to feel fulfilled and satisfied with your job while maximizing your potential? Studies show that focusing on your strengths is not only beneficial, but essential to your personal and professional growth. Doing so allows you to enhance productivity, increase confidence and differentiate yourself.
Concentrating on your strengths provides a path for continuous growth and development. When you invest time and effort into refining your strengths, you deepen your expertise in areas where you naturally excel. By doing this, you are opening up doors to paths full of opportunity.
Lucky for you, there are proven strategies in place to help you center on your strengths. Focus on what is EEE:
- Easy
- Effortless
- Enjoyable
When we do what is EEE, we tend to love all the hard work, responsibility and tedium that goes with it. Now, open up a note-taking app or grab a pen and paper –––––––––––––––––– seriously. Write down only what is easy, effortless and enjoyable in your life that you want to build on. Return to this article upon completion.
The list you just created sums up your essence, aka key parts of your true being. Display it in a way that you will see it often and be reminded.
Take for example renowned tennis player Serena Williams. She is a great example of someone who focused on her strengths and built her game because of it. Her serve is insanely powerful and her playing style is aggressive. Her playstyle differs from her opponents. Instead of conforming to a particular playing style or trying to imitate other pros, she makes a habit of focusing on maximizing her own strengths. She recognizes what she is best at and built her game around it. Today, Serena is acknowledged as one of the best tennis players of all time.
The idea of focusing on your strengths is not a new trend – in fact it has been understood for centuries. Since circa 300 BC, Aristotle was actively dumping knowledge on people in the streets of Greece. He argued that everyone has a unique set of natural strengths. Once someone identifies what their strengths are and continues to build upon them, they have the opportunity to reach their max potential. Think about some of your natural strengths. Are you currently building on them to help reach your own max potential?
Let’s take a look at what many people fall into. If people only focused on improving skills that do not come naturally, or their weaknesses, they often will be working hard to be average. If people focus on strengthening the skills that do come naturally and are easy, effortless and enjoyable, there is a much higher chance they will flourish.
A study by Gallup showed that employees who focus on strengths more than weaknesses feel more confident, productive and self-aware. So why do many only focus their time, energy and resources on strengthening weaknesses? Studies show that this happens because people believe if they have a strength in one area, they can have strengths in all areas. Building yourself into a powerhouse of skill sets may sound awesome, but it’s not realistic. Nobody is perfect. It’s also great to recognize and work on some of your weaknesses, especially ones you feel may be holding you back. However, if you put most of your energy and effort into capitalizing on your natural strengths, you will get to where you dream of going a lot faster.
When looking at how to apply EEE focus to enhance job satisfaction and performance, consciously seek out roles that align with your natural strengths. By doing so, you’re helping yourself unlock your full potential. Many also find that focusing on strengths helps to improve competence, find fulfillment, and yield better results in their role. Embrace the opportunity to thrive by discovering how you work best, understanding your true self and pursuing your life’s desires.
Everyone wants to enjoy the work they put energy into, both professionally and personally. Build on your strengths that are Easy, Effortless, and Enjoyable and you’ll be on the path to natural success.