BECOMING
Module 2
STRENGTHS & PASSIONS
CLICK TO LISTEN ONLY OR LISTEN WHILE READING ALONG
More-than-likely you already know what your weaknesses are without anyone having to point them out to you. In fact, most of us tend to point out our weaknesses and flaws without even being prompted to do so. Then, we tend to play down our strengths or accomplishments so we can remain “humble” in the eyes of others.
I can recall early on in my career, I was working at a major film studio in the legal department and I’d just finished a massive project that involved coordinating assistance from law firms in about 100 different countries. My boss acknowledged my work in front of the entire legal team as a job well done but instead of accepting the praise, I pointed out that it took me longer than expected to complete the project and there were tons of hurdles. I didn’t know then how putting the spotlight on my perceived weakness wasn’t exactly doing me a favor by actually highlighting the flaw in my work product.
Now, our strengths, on the other hand, they’re totally worth it. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have to learn something new, or that these new things may even feel a little awkward at first. The reality is that you might even maybe fumble with new things in the beginning. BUT it’s also these things that you tend to possibly pick up a little easier than the average person. Even though technically it’s still “work,” you may even find that the time spent learning it isn’t as painful as you thought it might be. You might even enjoy the learning process as you ramp up to nailing this new strength.
These strengths are where you can shine. This is where it’s worth investing your time, energy, and money into. These strengths are also worth sharing and feeling good about. In fact, when you combine your strengths with what you actually enjoy doing and create a way to attach that to an income, THEN you’re on your way to making your dreams become a reality.
We’ve put together a few exercises that’ll take a little time to answer. They’re probably things you haven’t thought about or forced yourself to think about in a long time. You might be able to answer some right off the bat, and that's fantastic. Some you may need a little more time. So, if you need to, walk away from the ones you aren’t sure about yet and give yourself a little time to really think about your answers.
​
You should also feel free to ask your friends and family to help you. Because sometimes it’s easier for others to see our strengths than it is for us to see them on our own.
Don't feel bad about pointing out, recognizing, and writing down your strengths. A great side benefit of this exercise is to celebrate yourself, but we also want you to be 100% honest with yourself about what you should NOT be doing. This is the time to own your sparkle!
​
…and YES, we realize that some of these questions may feel redundant, BUT we’re never only good at just one thing, right? We may find we’re good at something, then we turn around and excel even more at something else.
​
In the following exercise, the questions are designed to get you thinking about and even more importantly…recognizing strengths and maybe even some weaknesses. This is going to help you out big time later when we get to goal setting and time management.
Stop here and complete “The Revealing” exercise in your workbook now, or use the exercises below and answer in your own notebook.
Somewhere along the way, we start to believe that we need to hold on tightly to the belief that we’ve got to work harder on our weakness than we work on our actual strengths. Can you relate to that?
​
If you answered yes, we’re here to tell you, to STOP working so HARD on trying to improve what you’re just NOT meant to be good at. Just LET.IT.GO. Release it. Say goodbye to it. It’s just not worth your time.
Exercise
Again as in Module 1, complete the sentences below. We realize that some feel redundant, but we are never only good at one thing. We may be good at one thing, but excel even better at another.
​
These questions are to get you thinking and recognizing strengths and even some weaknesses. It will help you out later with goal setting and time management.​
1. I have always been good at _____.
​
​
2. I am by nature very _____. (Your superpower)
​
​
3. I seem to do _____ better than other people.
​
​
4. My friends & family come to me for help with _____.
​
​
5. No matter how hard I try and practice, I just can’t _____.
​
​
6. I am secretly very good at _____, but ignore it or act like I’m not good at it.
​
​
7. I am currently doing _____ and it’s honestly a waste of my time and talent, and I feel frustrated by it.
​
8. I seem to pick up _____ pretty easily, but I need to spend more time developing these skills.
​
​
9. I’m actually surprised how good I am at _____.
​
​
10. Notes/thoughts spurred by this exercise: _____.