Volume 2, Issue 7

Strengthen your Gifts

One of the workshops I facilitate is called Strengths Training for Teams. Because it's been proven that people achieve more and are happier when they are doing what they do best, the objective of the workshop is to help groups recognize and acknowledge what they do well, and to channel their individual strengths to help achieve team goals.

Although the workshop is directed at corporate clients, even in our personal lives we are members of some type of team, be it family, sports, or other social groupings. The key to feeling great about role in our personal teams, and to living a strong life, is to strengthen our gifts.

Many people are reluctant to investigate their natural strengths, mostly because they don’t believe that their talents are worth talking about. In fact, when asked what they are good at, more often than not, people reference the external things they have accumulated during their lives, such as certificates and diplomas, experiences and awards. I’m not suggesting that these accomplishments are without value, what I am saying, is that if we stop investigating ourselves for fear of how little we might find, we could be missing out on some of life’s greatest joys.

A strength has three components; talent, knowledge and skill. The most important of the three is talent. (Let’s face it if you’ve dreamed of becoming an opera singer, but you can’t sing in key, you may be better off using your energy and time on something that comes more naturally to you).

The first step in discovering your strengths is to understand how to distinguish what comes naturally to you from things you can learn.

To figure out your talents, start by focusing on the things you do that require little effort on your part? Do you like how you feel when you are engaging in these activities? Are you currently using these talents in your work and life? Be careful not to characterize things that are easy for you, as being insignificant, or “it’s just what I do”. A gift is a gift.

If nothing comes to mind, try an activity you’ve never done before and see how quickly you pick it up. Do you need to read the directions? Or, do you intuitively skip steps to create your own fabulous outcome? Test yourself by trying a variety of different activities. In time you’ll start to see your natural abilities emerging.

Once you’ve figured out what your talent is, then you can set about acquiring the knowledge and the skills that will turn your talent into a life changing strength.

For more information about Strengths Training for Teams or other TNN workshops please visit http://www.thinknewnow.com/aboutus.asp