176. SIGNATURE STRENGTHS

Advocates of positive psychology, like psychologist Martin Seligman, tell us that when we use our signature strengths optimally, we are most likely to enjoy our jobs, do well in our relationships, and connect with institutions that align with those strengths.

It also seems that if we don’t make the effort to explore and exploit the potential of our signature strengths, we are likely to be more aware of our weaknesses than our strengths. The effort to focus more on strengths appears to be worth it.

In Positive Psychology, Maria B. Cohen, PsyD, shared her personal experience discovering her signature strengths. What follows are gleanings from her report.

After attending college, Cohen had an important job as a psychological research assistant. “This was going to look fantastic on my résumé; it was the kind of thing that would provide relevant experience and help usher me into grad school. I should have been overjoyed, and [it] started out that way. But that soon fizzled, and instead I found myself downright miserable.”

Citing Seligman, who defined signature strengths as “strengths of character that a person owns, celebrates, and frequently exercises,” Cohen added, “These are the personal traits and skills that come naturally, and that give us a sense of fulfillment and purpose when we use them.”

Finding her top three signature strengths as curiosity, love of learning, and perspective, she found bliss as a clinician. “Doing therapy, I get to utilize all three of these strengths in my work. My sense of curiosity makes me truly interested in my clients and their personal stories. Because I love learning, I eat psych books like they are candy and very much enjoy attending conferences about new methods and ideas in my field, then immediately use what I learn in therapy sessions. Perspective (or wisdom) is a strength I try to employ daily by helping others look at themselves and their situations in healthy, encouraging ways.”

“If your job or life circumstances don’t naturally engage your strengths, you can and should look for creative outlets for their expression. For example, if your strength happens to be my weakness of self-regulation, and you are in an unstructured environment, use your skills to bring order to the chaos. … If humor is one of your strengths, find ways to bring laughter to the board room or break room.”

“Three times today I’ve abandoned writing this article to do something else. Because I’m curious and love to learn, I went to find the reference for another article, and found myself distracted by another couple of pages that popped up in my Google search. When I set out to write, I know that this will be the way things go, so I give myself the time for what will inevitably be my process. … By permitting myself to work at a comfortable pace, I am able to eventually accomplish what I set out to do in a way that feels genuine to me.”

“I always enjoy sharing what I know with others, and helping them potentially gain insight, which happily propelled me to continue writing and to finish this article. I close by encouraging you to discover your own signature strengths and align your life with their expression. Become aware of your weaknesses, too, if only to learn forgiveness and a better understanding of where you may be challenged.”

Q: What do you need to do to use your signature strengths more optimally?

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