Know Yourself
- Kristie Berzansky
- Dec 20, 2021
- 2 min read
December 20, 2021
Who am I and What do I want?
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
~ Marcus Aurelius
One of the goals of coaching is to learn more about ourselves. This journey of discovery starts by looking within. Where are you today? Identifying what is going well in your life today and reflecting on what allowed you to be successful in your past allows you to think about your future from a place of strength. It is important to identify what you want to move toward rather than what you want to move away from.
I remember a time earlier in my career when I told a colleague that I was going to apply to a financial manager position. This may not seem like a crazy idea but maybe it is more clear when I tell you that I HATE financial modeling. Yes, I did it at the time but only to get my projects and ideas approved. So when my colleague asked me why, I told her because I want to be well-rounded. Then she asked me if I enjoyed that part of my job, to which I responded without hesitation, Hell NO! When she told me about the data around following your strengths rather than trying to improve your weaknesses I was so relieved and fascinated at the same time.
The interesting thing is that there is usually a downside to our strengths. Don’t believe me? Let me give you an example. Often over-achievers are tough on themselves and hence can have lower self-compassion. This may sound like…. “Ugh! I got a 95% on that test. Why did I miss that question? “That presentation wasn’t perfect even though they approved my project”.
Often, taking a strength based assessment can help identify your strengths and personality traits. Understanding your strengths gives you a “toolbox” that you can leverage as you consciously develop new behaviors. I have included links below to some of these assessments if you are interested in taking these tests.
Assessments:
VIA Character Assessment: This assessment will provide your top 24 character strengths.
Enneagram: This assessment identifies which of the 9 different personality types fits you best.
Self-Sabotage Quiz: This positive psychology test ranks 9 different self-sabotage categories.
Reflections:
What is my Superpower?
How would I approach a situation using my strengths?
When do my strengths start to sabotage me?
Action:
Identify one area of growth that you would like to focus on this week. How can you leverage your strengths this week to achieve your goal?
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