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YOUR STRENGTHS by Carole Nicolaides **
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What is the one strength that - if you worked on it - would make the
difference in your profession? Is it your ability to draw pictures? Translate
feelings into beautiful visual images? Take words and put them into persuasive
sentences? Are you especially clever with numbers? Can you sing acappella? Can
you inspire people at work? The answers to all these questions will be clues
to your natural talents, and most likely to your true purpose in life.
Acknowledging and dedicating yourself to your natural talents is the path to
excellence, success, and effortless abundance.
One of my gifts has always been my ability of asking questions. It seems
others appreciate that I ask questions in a non-threatening way that allows
others to see their own issues and usually the solutions to their problems. I
took this gift for granted for many years. As someone who was in medical
training, I thought this was a normal thing to do. Inquiring, and trying to
get to the root of peoples' illnesses was all part of becoming a doctor.
I realized that this was not such an easy task for every medical student.
Later on, when I abandoned the medical profession and started working in the
business realm, the same gift helped me again. My ability to ask the right
questions at the right moments helped technical projects to move ahead, made
people feel good about themselves, and brought business satisfaction within
very challenging operations. Once again, I was focusing all my energy in
developing other special competencies of mine, but not acknowledging my
natural gift. Why?
Only after 30 something years did I realized that my gift - my brilliance -
lies in my ability to ask questions. Once I internalized this wisdom,
acknowledged my gift, and stopped denying it, I was able to find my true path
in life and start doing work in a way that is deeply fulfilling. The beauty of
it is - once you stop fighting it - you get answers to all the things that you
once had questions about. You are still working hard, but excellence comes
much more easily.
So many people, when asked what they are gifted at, reply either "I don't
know" or "nothing." How sad! I am pretty confident that you
have at least one thing that you do well. If you do not know about it, then
ask your family or friends and they will point something out. Everyone has
something unique to offer in this world. Some have strengths that are
abundantly obvious. Others, like me, have gifts that may take some
investigation to uncover.
Knowing your strengths will allow you to tap into your inner desires, from
which you can plot your path of life. Everything is interrelated. Your
strengths will reveal your true blueprint in life.
Whether you've discovered your strengths or not, the sad truth is that most
people do not take the time to develop their gifts. A prime example is
the person who works hard, struggling to rise to the top, while ignoring the
very things that come naturally to them. Unfortunately, it happens every
day.
One of the reasons this happens is that our gifts - the things that come very
easily to us are often ignored, or smothered by other duties. Let me
explain.
One client of mine, a marketing strategist, built his business using his
natural strength (gift) of building relationships. He loved connecting
with clients, meeting new people, and personally interacting with others.
However, as other business responsibilities set in, he found himself laying
his primary strength aside and devoting more time to mundane duties. The
result? He began to degrade in his level of excellence. Without
focusing his contribution to the business on his strength, he, personally and
professionally, started to suffer.
Once he acknowledged this - he readjusted his schedule, dropped all
administrative tasks that did not require his personal attention, and devoted
two-hours of his time to re-cultivating old relationships and building new
ones. Within a few months, his business boomed, he felt great and he had more
time.
Are you like me? Are you unsure of what your natural gifts are? It
took me a long time to realize mine. The tips below will help you
pinpoint the strengths you have that can lead you down the path to excellence.
1. Make a list of the specific things (no more than three)
that come easily for you. You may not see them as "special"
(like my ability to ask the right questions) but if you are naturally adept at
them, write them on your list.
2. Decide how committed are you to dedicating money and time
to developing your gifts.
3. If you are willing to do what is needed to develop these
strengths, set some deadlines. Research classes, activities or
counselors who can help you expand on your gifts.
4. Find a "mentor" or someone else who will
support you in your efforts to excel.
5. Put a measurable return on your investment. Create
a list of reasonable accomplishments that you hope to make after developing
your gifts.
6. Think big! Who is your role model, who is expert in
your field? Study them and then see if you like any of their development
strategies.
The key here is to remain persistent with the development of your strengths.
Many people have paid great sums of money for the help of experts. If
you do not feel you are able to grow solely with the help of a mentor, by all
means hire a coach or consultant. The end result of having peace and
confidence in your personal and professional life will be well worth the cost!
About the Author
Carole is President and Leadership Coach of Progressive Leadership, a
management consulting firm that specializes in improving organizational
effectiveness, leadership performance and profitability through developing
employees soft skills and building upon their strengths.
Visit http://www.progressiveleadership.com
for more info & subscribe to Carole's FREE Ezine.
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If you are
currently dealing with a challenge or you are deeply concerned about the
situation of another but don't know how to help, e-mail your question for a
reply with the specific strategies that you can implement in yourself to
encourage them to change.
info@incrediblepotential.com
Graham White www.incrediblepotential.com
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