Former President of the American Psychological Association and founder of the revolutionary ‘Positive Psychology’ movement, Martin Seligman reminds us, traditional wisdom “holds that there are two ingredients of success… the first is ability or aptitude, and IQ tests and SATs are supposed to measure it. The second is desire or motivation. No matter how much aptitude you have, says traditional wisdom, if you lack desire you will fail. Enough desire can make up for meager talent.” So do all that you can to strengthen your desire to achieve your goals and to sustain that desire at a high level.
Seligman continues: “I believe that traditional wisdom is incomplete. A composer can have all the talent of Mozart and a passionate desire to succeed, but if he believes he cannot compose music, he will come to nothing. He will not try hard enough. He will give up too soon when the elusive right melody takes too long to materialize. Success requires persistence, the ability to not give up in the face of failure. I believe that optimistic explanatory style is the key to persistence.” Which leads us back to that internal locus of control I’ve talked about in other articles.
However, in shifting your focus to personal responsibility for the good in your life, it is not necessary or desired to focus on any perceived weakness you may have. Robert Sternberg, in his book, Successful Intelligence, introduces us to the idea that we shouldn’t spend too much time focusing on our weaknesses. His research showed that the most successful among us weren’t those with the highest IQs or SATs or GPAs. Rather, the most successful are those who know who they are and what they’re good at and they focus on developing their strengths.
Seligman concurs: “I do not believe that you should devote overly much effort to correcting your weaknesses. Rather, I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.” The same is true in your journey to achieve your goals. Focus on your strengths. In fact, it might be a good thing to write them down in your journal.
My greatest strengths are:
1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
5. _________________________________
Consider things like, courage, optimism, creativity, kindness and generosity, tidiness, intelligence, organizational skills, ingenuity, curiosity, open mindedness, good judgment, critical thinking, love of learning, perspective or wisdom, honesty, perseverance, persistence, diligence, industriousness, zest or enthusiasm, love, social skills, teamwork, fairness, leadership, forgiveness or mercy, modesty or humility, discretion, self-control, appreciation of beauty or excellence, gratitude, playfulness, a sense of humor, a strong sense of spirituality, and any others you can think of that might define you.
Take a moment and write your signature strengths now. If you can find a way to use your signature strengths in conjunction with your passions in life, you have found your calling. Explore ways in which you can use your greatest strengths more often and to their fullest extent. You can now more consciously create a life in which you’re using them in greatest service to yourself and to the world. Integrate this idea into any future goal planning.
What are your strengths? How are you giving them to something bigger than yourself? We need to become conscious of this as we seek to create a truly good life.
Seligman says, “The good life consists in deriving happiness by using your signature strengths every day in the main realms of living. The meaningful life adds one more component: using these same strengths to forward knowledge, power, or goodness” to others.
So, what are your strengths?
1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
5. _________________________________
How are you using them every day?
1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
5. _________________________________
And, most importantly, how are you giving them to something bigger than yourself?
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William James said, “Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.”
© 2010, Shelley Dudley, Author, Speaker, Coach
Shelley Dudley has 25 years’ experience in sales & marketing, customer service, and training. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, she has written articles for a diversity of publications from Ladies Home Journal to Precious Metal Magazine. She has written a best-selling book, “You Can Do It! A Step by Step Guide to Achieving your Dreams” and is available for speaking engagements. More information can be found at her website: http://shelleydudley.biz
