A friend of mine told me that she tries to help all her children identify their greatest strength so they can use that strength to do well in life. I like her idea – it fits well with an area of positive psychology called strength finding.

Strength finding can focus on oneself or on others. Either way, the goal is to survey the full range of characteristics a person has and spark the biggest strengths into action.

What characteristics shall we survey? We might look at personality characteristics such as being emotionally stable, agreeable, outgoing, conscientious, and open to experience. Psychologists call these characteristics the Big Five of personality.  Of the Five, I am highest on openness to experience. I use that openness to try new teaching methods and to complete research on new types of psychological interventions. The desire to explore leads me to try different sports and recreational activities, as well as to travel to new places.

You can toss in cognitive intelligence, knowledge, wisdom, and creativity as possibilities for strengths. I see myself as relatively high in psychological and political knowledge. I often read biographies of great physicists like Einstein and Dirac – maybe their creativity will rub off on me.

Some individuals have excellent health, either physical or mental. I have a desirable heart rate (about 56) and blood pressure (about 108/70).

Appearance aspects can have value, e.g., looking attractive, trustworthy, nice, or strong. Some individuals have pleasing voices. At 1.88 metres tall, I have what I consider an ideal height.

Talents we can consider: Interpersonal, mechanical, organizational, athletic, artistic, musical. Include talents in dance, public speaking, and writing. If I keep writing this column, I might learn how to be entertaining with words. Emotional intelligence fits in this group of talents. It is the ability to perceive, understand, and regulate emotions in oneself and in others. Showing warmth and empathy to others is part of emotional intelligence.  

Virtues deserve consideration.  These include courage, patience, tidiness, and resilience. I like to think of myself as resilient, but I have not been severely tested.

There is no limit to what types of strengths a person can have. What are your strengths?

If we develop a habit of looking for our own strengths and those of others, we may feel happier and do better in life. A good challenge involves identifying strengths in the individuals who have most mistreated us. Try that as an antidote for black-and-white thinking.

Imagine parents identifying and commenting on strengths of their children. Imagine children identifying and commenting on strengths of their parents.

Picture teachers, work supervisors, coaches, and others pointing out your strengths. I will point out one of your strengths: You have good judgement about what to read.

[Photo by Max Rovensky on Unsplash]