I’ve been reading positive psychology books the past couple of months. I love the focus on helping people improve their lives, and agree that a happy life is a personally fulfilling life. One of the exercises offered up at the Authentic Happiness website is the VIA (Values in Action) Survey of Character Strengths. [Edit, 16 Dec 2014: Take the survey through my professional site.] Similar to the Gallup-inspired Strengths Finder, the VIA is a tool for discovering your strengths, from an appreciation of beauty to zest. The idea is that once you know what your “Signature Strengths” are, you can work on using them every day. Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology and a leading expert in the field, argues that doing so, including in new and different ways, is key to leading a happy life.
Over the past month I’ve done the assessment a couple times, with slightly different results each time. Bearing this in mind, here are what I believe to be my Signature Strengths, i. e., my top five:
Fairness, equity, and justice
Forgiveness and mercy
Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness
Curiosity and interest in the world
Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness
How am I doing? Well, I’m allowing my curiosity to guide me more than I used to. Meeting new people, reading different sorts of books and magazines, exploring new-to-me neighbourhoods, and varying the kinds of food I eat are good examples of that. Some days I feel less energized about life than I might, and making space and time for curiosity help sort that out. Last week I went to Worldviews 2013, a conference at which I was very much a tourist. Sometimes the panels I was less keen on turned out to be the most interesting, and vice versa! And here I can see my fifth strength at work, especially when it comes to being open-minded and engaging in a bit of critical thinking.
I have a hard time not being honest and genuine. This can get me into trouble, but of course I much prefer it when this trait is appreciated! Having open, honest conversations with friends and acquaintances, new and old, makes me feel good. Using my blog to reflect on my life is another way I use this strength. Coaching and being coached draws on this, too. These days I feel pretty good about just being myself; this hasn’t always been the case.
This leaves the first two strengths, fairness and forgiveness. These feel very “me” and I bet they’ll remain in my top five for a long time, perhaps my entire life; these traits are strong for members of my immediate family, too. And now I’m furrowing my brow, trying to see when and how I use these strengths. Hmm. I’m not sure if this counts, but my inability to hold a grudge really comes in handy when maintaining relationships (of any kind) and staying even-keeled during difficult times. I can definitely judge and obsess, but I don’t condemn others. Allowing people to make mistakes is an important quality of mine, perhaps especially because I know I’ve taken plenty of missteps myself! Have mercy, friends and associates! As for fairness . . . I like to share? This seems like reaching. There’s an opportunity here!
So, my challenge: Come up with ways of using at least a few of my top strengths on a daily basis.
Have you done the VIA survey? If not, set aside an hour to do it. It’s free, reputable (for science!), and a great tool for personal and professional growth. Let me know what you’re strengths are! I’m curious 🙂
