Capitalizing on your Character Strengths is a positive intervention that must be practiced, repeatedly. Below are a few activities to guide you in exploring what is right with you and those around you. When engaging in a positive intervention, it helps to track your wellbeing as a measure of success. Before you dive in, take your PERMA+ Snapshot and see what your score is today. Next, try each of the activities below over the coming weeks and then retake your PERMA+ Snapshot to see how the positive intervention of Character Strengths impacted your wellbeing.
Try the positive intervention as researchers intended…
Positive Intervention: Identify Your Character Strengths
Complete the VIA Character Strengths Survey to identify your top strengths. The survey is free and takes less than 10 minutes! Print and post your rank order of strengths somewhere you will see them every day (your refrigerator, workstation, or digital desktop). Becoming AWARE of your strengths is the first step to reaping the benefits.
Once you’ve identified your character strengths, don’t stop there.
Explore these additional positive practices…
- Shine a Light on YOUR Signature Strengths!
The strengths at the top of your list are known as your Signature Strengths. These are the strengths that come most naturally to you, where you innately shine. Once you’ve taken the VIA Survey, start to reflect on your Signature Strengths. Is there anything that surprised you about your Signature Strengths? How do your Signature Strengths enable you to succeed at school or work? How do they show up in your personal life/relationships?
- Find Your Sweet Spot
Strengths serve us best when they are balanced. To reap the full benefit of knowing and using our strengths, we must become masterful at finding the sweet spot — where our strengths are being used in the right context, at the right time, to the right degree, and for the benefit of ourselves and others. What does “too much” and “too little” look like for each of your strengths? What is your “strength’s sweet spot” when you are at your best? Here’s an example:
- Set Your Strengths Goal
Strengths are best when they are mindfully and intentionally put into action. Set a goal to use one of your Signature Strengths in a deliberate, thoughtful and unique way for each of the next 7 days. Reflect and consider the impact of keeping that strength top of mind. How has it affected you? And, those around you? Then, set another strength goal for the next seven days, and repeat through each of your five Signature Strengths. Pause with each to understand its effect on you and others.
- Character Strengths Flash Cards
Practice knowing the 24 Character Strengths (especially your top Signature Strengths) with these Character Strength Flashcards. Examples of what each strength looks like in action are included. Then, share your Signature Strengths with people you learn, work, live and socialize with. Encourage them to take the VIA Character Survey too!
