What are your personal strengths?

We've all been there: you're actually doing quite well at a job interview ... until the question about your personal strengths and weaknesses is asked. And suddenly you can't think of anything. What does that even mean? Even though the term is often used, a clear definition is not easy. Strengths are skills that we can perform without much effort and in which we have great potential for improvement. These successes mean that you generally enjoy doing things that belong to your strengths.

The potential for improvement and the effort required to achieve improvements are therefore much greater with personal strengths than with weaknesses. That's why it makes more sense to focus on our personal strengths than to drag ourselves down by constantly reminding ourselves of our weaknesses. With this motivation, it is much easier to achieve peak performance.

Recognize personal strengths

So that you can concentrate better on your personal strengths, you first need to know them, of course. Both self-assessment and external assessment can help with this. Ask people who are close to you and who mean well by you. They can draw your attention to strengths that you miss in everyday life or that you are not even aware of. It can also help if you:

- keep a diary in which you note down what went well. This allows you to recognize hidden strengths and talents.
- remember your childhood dreams. As a child, you worry less about boundaries and usually have a very good sense of your own strengths.
- get involved in new projects and experiments. This also allows you to discover new personal strengths.
- orient yourself towards things that you enjoy doing in your free time or that you enjoyed doing in the past. Listen to your gut.

But even if you limit yourself to your strengths, you can easily be distracted by things that you think you should also be able to do. Therefore, try to be positive in your assessment and not be distracted by weaknesses. Never forget that a person cannot do everything. Positive thinking is therefore very helpful when recognizing personal strengths.

When our strengths become weaknesses

Yes, our strengths can sometimes stand in our way. This usually depends entirely on the situation. For example, empathy is generally seen as a strength. However, too much empathy can make us vulnerable. We then lack distance and this can be interpreted as a weakness. Everyone has their own characteristics, personal strengths and weaknesses, and that's okay. If we try to bend ourselves and make ourselves into a different person, we only end up harming ourselves and are unable to use our potential.

Personal strengths at work

Those who can demonstrate certain strengths in their professional life are often successful in their field of work or attract the attention of their boss. Examples of this are

- Diligence and the ability to finish something conscientiously and complete it properly
- ability to work in a team
- manual dexterity
- empathy
- A feeling for language and expression
- independence
- Ability to deal with conflict

The multitude of strengths already shows that nobody can have every strength. However, personal strengths are also developed by using these skills. It is therefore possible that you have hidden personal strengths that you have not yet discovered because they have never been called upon in your life. Try to set yourself tasks that match your personal strengths. Especially if you work in a team, you can distribute tasks according to your strengths and thus achieve the best results.