Do you feel energised? Why is it important anyway?

Put quite simply when we do things that play to our strengths we feel energised and enjoy them, therefore we are more motivated and happy. By knowing our strengths we can take charge and find ways to do more of the things that play to our strengths.

I learnt all about this in the Positive Psychology and Wellbeing course I’m currently studying. As part of the course I answered a set of questions, which gave me my Strengths Profile.

This helped me to identify my Realised Strengths, my Unrealised Strengths, my Learned Behaviours and my Weaknesses (we shouldn’t focus on these too much, just be aware of them). In brief these translate to:

Realised Strengths (energising) - strengths we use and enjoy

Unrealised Strengths (energising) - strengths we don’t use as often

Learned Behaviours (de-energising) - things we do well but may not enjoy

Weaknesses (de-energising) - things we find hard and don’t enjoy

It was great to do because it’s not always easy to talk about our strengths or label them. Knowing mine has brought a new level of self-awareness for me.

I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised at some of the strengths that came up for me because I wasn’t aware of them. I was even more surprised to learn that some of the things I do can actually be de-energising! So it was great to know which are energising and those that aren’t!

By having this information we can identify ways to do more activities where our energising strengths are at play both personally and professionally so we actively identify ways to feel engaged and motivated. For me it’s been eye opening as I can see why I find some activities easier than others and why I have no interest in some. Also I understand why I can do some activities for ages and never get bored but am completely switched off by others.

Now of course we all have to do things that we don’t particulary enjoy or things that we find quite hard and we usually can’t just decide not to do them, especially in our work environments. However, by understanding which category the activity sits in on our Strengths Profile we can manage them better. For example, by doing them in moderation if they de-energise us or using less of our weaknesses and seeing if our strengths can in any way compensate for them.

For me personally the profile came at the right time, as I’m job hunting so I’ll certainly be using it when looking for my next career opportunity.

How could it help you?

Happy well being! x