Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is an excellent way to build your personal and professional life. In addition, the value in having an insightful grasp on who you are and what you offer others presents you with the opportunity to focus on positive things in your life — concentrating on what is healthy and good for you can guide you in making better choices.
When you know your strengths, you can call on them during challenging moments in life. A better understanding of what makes you strong opens your possibilities, placing you in circumstances that can accelerate your personal or professional life. Your strengths help you maintain a healthy, positive life.
The Benefits of Having Clarity in Your Strengths
Having clarity in your strengths benefits you because:
- Your focus is on those things that will positively impact your life. For example, if you know your strength lies in being compassionate, you can volunteer or work for an organization that helps those in need. Working with or helping others can boost your mental health.
- You can use your time efficiently when you know what you excel at.
- Your strengths can aid you in valuing yourself, raising your standards, and expecting more in life.
- Acknowledging and focusing on your strengths means you can make smarter decisions about your relationships, goals, and environment. Another upside to knowing where you excel is choosing a career that will thrive because of your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
- The goals you create will also benefit from focusing on your natural abilities. Then, as you plan to achieve your goal, you can design a straightforward course of action that uses your talents, saves you time, and decreases stress if obstacles come between you and your purpose.
How to Assess Your Strengths
In recovery, you assess your sobriety by doing a mental health check. Evaluating your strengths is another way of checking in on your sobriety and mental health. Find what comes easy to you. Look for behaviors, natural talents, and interchangeable skills.
When you find them, recognize these areas in your life. They’re your strengths because you developed them through discipline and effort. Your focus was on growing these skills to perform these strengths with little to no effort. Recovery is a skill you focus on throughout your life. Time will increase your proficiency in specific areas of recovery.
Everyone has a strength or strengths. You were born with something that makes you unique, an interest that propels you towards specific experiences. Your interests can bolster your recovery because they influence how you think and learn. What helps you focus on your sobriety? A skill you learned while in treatment or a sober group may become a strength you can develop. However, for this strength or any strength to grow, you must be willing to explore and question things in your life, including your alcohol or drug addiction.
Perhaps you’re not sure of your strengths. Ask yourself a few questions:
- What do I excel at?
- What comes easily to me?
- What qualities do I have that I don’t want to live without?
If you’re still unsure, ask a friend to tell you what they think your strengths are.
Write down what you think your strengths are, and don’t overlook even the most minor behavior. For example, while you may not think being patient, kind or analytical are strengths, they’re traits that can guide you through difficult situations.
Assess Your Weaknesses
You can’t grow if you don’t know your weaknesses. Weaknesses aren’t always negative. Instead, think of a weakness as an area in your life that may meet one or all of these criteria:
- Limited or no experience: Sometimes, you aren’t presented with the opportunity to explore specific aspects personally or professionally. Or you may not show any interest in a particular skill. For these reasons, you will have little to no experience. Maybe step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Explore the unknown and ask for help if you get stuck.
- What you see and experience matters: Throughout your life, you picked up habits or ideas by watching others. As a result, you brought those habits or beliefs into your present. Break those harmful habits and shed negative thoughts by listening and watching others in your Alumni or 12-Step groups.
- Your beliefs sway your opinions, behaviors, or decisions: Beliefs can limit your experience, as well as your ability to think or act. For example, if you believe you’re not good at something or a specific result will occur, you self-actualize.
You wouldn’t let a loved one intentionally hurt themselves, would you? If you saw they were struggling, you would more than likely help them. Do the same for yourself. Instead of putting yourself in a difficult position or allowing yourself to struggle, let others help you. When you let others in and hand over control, you can reduce your stress, anxiety, or depression. In terms of your recovery, investigate which areas of your life cause you to struggle. Think of knowing your weaknesses as a way to open yourself up to others.
Strengths and weaknesses are what make you an imperfect perfect person. What you learn, how you feel, and your natural talent forms who you are and what you can achieve. You gravitate towards things that come easy to you, something you build on and become proficient. The tendency to focus on your strengths means you become efficient, resourceful, and confident in those areas. However, weaknesses can decrease your self-esteem because you don’t thrive in certain areas. At Renaissance Ranch Treatment Centers, we believe your strength lies in your willingness to enter addiction treatment. Our staff is ready to guide you through your treatment every step of the way. After an assessment, you will discuss the appropriate level of care with your therapist. Renaissance Ranch Treatment Centers provides comprehensive care, including an Alumni program. We welcome your questions and are happy to tell you about our two locations in Utah. Call us today at (801) 308-8898 to learn more.