The trouble is, most of us don\u2019t know what we\u2019re best at.<\/b><\/p>\n
If someone asked you what you\u2019re best at, would you be able to confidently articulate it?<\/span><\/p>\n We live in a world where we are told by society what kind of work we should be doing to be accepted, and we get jobs accordingly. But is this in line with our natural skills?<\/span><\/p>\n I know because I\u2019ve struggled with it.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n I believe most people are unsure what they\u2019re meant to be doing in life. Most people do not know what their true strengths are.<\/span><\/p>\n This can leave them feeling lost, unfulfilled and looking to the outside world for approval.<\/span><\/p>\n In this post, I\u2019ll share three ways to help you uncover what your strengths are. This is useful for working in a role that fulfils you, choosing careers and defining your Personal Brand.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether you feel have already a good sense of your strengths already, or you feel completely lost, I promise that doing these will help give you further clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n You can then decide if this is aligned with how you\u2019re currently spending your time day to day.<\/span><\/p>\n \u2018There are patterns of success and patterns of failure. The good news is success leaves clues\u2019 <\/span><\/i>\u2013 Tony Robbins<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve achieved some amazing things in life so far.<\/span><\/p>\n Many that took perseverance, grit, and sacrifice.<\/span><\/p>\n How many times have you stopped to properly reflect on these achievements?<\/span><\/p>\n Never?<\/span><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s crazy that we live our life killing ourselves achieve goal after goal, yet we have not taken 10 minutes <\/span>in our lifetime<\/span><\/i> to reflect on these very things we work hard to achieve?<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re too busy moving on to the next thing.<\/span><\/p>\n Not anymore. From today, this is going to change. <\/span>Life leaves clues. <\/b>And it\u2019s in these clues that we can spot trends that are our natural strengths.<\/span><\/p>\n As Steve Jobs says, you can\u2019t connect the dots looking forward, just back. Well, let\u2019s start connecting some of these dots.<\/span><\/p>\n Take Action:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Take out a sheet of paper, and write the 5 – 10 accomplishments you\u2019re most proud of in your life<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s in work, maybe something you did personally, or something connected with others<\/span><\/p>\n For example one of my biggest accomplishments was learning how to swim: I never learned properly as a child. I tried having lessons but the instructor told me I was a \u2018sinker\u2019. Then three years ago I decided I was going to change this and I committed to learning. I did and I completed an Olympic triathlon with a 1.5km open water swim that year.<\/span><\/p>\n So learning how to swim is one of mine.<\/span><\/p>\n What\u2019s yours?<\/span><\/p>\n When you\u2019ve written yours, take a moment to consider what trends run through these<\/span><\/p>\n Share:<\/b> Share your accomplishments you’re most proud of in the comments below (mine are already there)<\/span><\/p>\n Bonus tip: I keep my top 10 \u00a0achievements in a note on my phone so I can review if I\u2019m feeling low, or about to go into a big meeting I need confidence for. It reminds me that I\u2019ve overcome bigger stuff than this before<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n People are complex, so don\u2019t beat yourself up if you haven\u2019t figured yourself out yet. \u00a0Luckily people have written books to help us.<\/span><\/p>\n One I like is called <\/span>Strengths Finder.<\/span><\/a> It\u2019s easy to understand, reasonably priced and you can download on your Kindle\/buy on amazon now.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a book that helps you find what you\u2019re good at.<\/span><\/p>\n First, it takes you through a 30-minute online test. Then you are sent a personalised report that details what your natural strengths are, what jobs you\u2019re suited to, how you work well with people, and what activities you should probably avoid (or delegate).<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not a definite guide to \u2018you\u2019, but another piece of the jigsaw that helps.<\/span><\/p>\n Take action:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Buy the Strengths Finders Book<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Share<\/b>: Post your results in the comments below (I have)<\/span><\/p>\n Even with the best introspection, we all have blind spots. Things we take for granted.<\/span><\/p>\n I believe we all have a superpower, but commonly we take this superpower for granted. We assume things that come naturally to us, come naturally to others also. This is usually not the case.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember the last time someone complimented you for something you did well and you just thought \u00a0\u2018bah, that\u2019s nothing special\u2019?<\/span><\/p>\n That could be your superpower.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re scared to admit<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes we feel we know a few strengths we have, but we\u2019re too scared to articulate it. This is because it\u2019s the things we care about the most, if we bare our souls, it can get rejected. So we talk about other, safer, things.<\/span><\/p>\n How to Ask<\/b><\/p>\n The best way to spot these blind spots and things we may not see, or are too scared to articulate, is to ask people close to us. Here\u2019s how:<\/span><\/p>\n Step 1: Decide who to ask<\/b><\/p>\n Find 6 – 10 people that you know that you\u2019re going to ask, write them down in your notebook or in an Evernote file<\/span><\/p>\n The mixed martial arts pioneer and multi-title champion <\/span>Frank Shamrock<\/span><\/a> has a system he trains fighters in that he calls plus, minus, and equal. Each fighter, to become great, he said, needs to have someone better they can learn from, someone lesser they can learn from and someone equal they can challenge themselves against.<\/span><\/p>\n The purpose of Shamrock\u2019s formula is simple: to get real and continuous feedback from what they know and don\u2019t know from every possible angle.<\/span><\/p>\n I recommend you use this Shamrock\u2019s principle when deciding who to ask. Here\u2019s how I applied this to mine:<\/span><\/p>\n Plus: My investors \/ mentors<\/span><\/p>\n Minus: Founders of startups that I advise \/ mentor<\/span><\/p>\n Equal: Friends, Peers, work colleagues<\/span><\/p>\n Step 2: Prep the questions<\/b><\/p>\n Prepare the questions. The questions I would recommend you ask are these:<\/span><\/p>\n Feel free to add to these, but recommend you keep the survey as short as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n Step 3: Create a Survey<\/b><\/p>\n Create a simple survey to put these questions into. I prefer this than putting in email as all the info will be collected in one place for you, and it\u2019s easier for people to answer.<\/span><\/p>\n I like Typeform for surveys. They look great on mobile and desktop. The free version if perfect for what we\u2019re doing here.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s the exact Typeform I used when creating this<\/a>. Feel free to copy this for your own use.<\/span>People are unsure<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n1)<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/b>Spot Trends<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n2) Strengths Finder<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Ask](\"https:\/\/ej6wemg7wiw.exactdn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/pexels-photo-5.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1\")
<\/h2>\n3) Ask<\/b><\/h2>\n
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\nCheck out my survey<\/a>
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