YOUR BEST SELF
Positive psychologists, led by Dr. Martin Seligman, have researched the cause of happiness and life satisfaction in human
beings. Through empirical research, they have developed a list of 24 strengths falling under six main categories, we have as
interior resources to promote well-being. Although each person possesses all 24 strengths, we each have a list of five to seven
primary go-to strengths which define who we are, drive what we value and how we feel valued in daily life.
Your signature strengths list is a picture of you at your best! Read the following list of questions and then scan the list of 24
strengths on pages 4 and 5. What do you think are your top five to seven strengths?
- Does this strength give me a sense of “this is the real me!”
- Do I get a feeling of excitement when displaying or using the
strength - Is it easy to use the strength
- Do you feel energized, not tired, after using the strength
- Do you feel joy, pride, happiness and zest when doing something that
uses the strength - Are you excited to find new ways to use the strength
With these questions in mind scan the following list of strengths and guess what you think are your top 5 to seven (the following definitions were drawn out of Dr. Ryan Neimiec’s book Character Strengths and Interventions, A Practioner’s Field Guide):
Wisdom Strengths
Creativity: Innovating different (novel) and productive ways to think about and do things;
originality, ingenuity
Curiosity: Taking interest in what is going on around you; finding information and other people
fascinating; openness to new experiences
Judgment/Critical Thinking: Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; Being able to change one’s mind in light of evidence; open-minded
Love of Learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and information either on one’s own or in school; Enjoying adding systematically to one’s knowledge
Perspective: Being able to provide wise advise to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people; wisdom
Courage Strengths
Bravery: Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right; acting on conviction even if unpopular
Perseverance: Finishing what one starts; persisting through obstacles; enjoys completing tasks
Honesty: Acting in a sincere way; speaking the truth; taking responsibility for one’s feeling and actions
Zest: Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or half-hearted and seeing life as an adventure; excited to be alive!!
Humanity Strengths
Love: Valuing close relationships with other people, being close to people; caring for others and being cared for by others; promoting the good of other people
Kindness: Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them, taking care of them; compassion
Social Intelligence: Being aware of the motives and feelings of others wing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick
Justice Strengths
Teamwork: Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one’s share
Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness andjustice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving others what is owed to them
Leadership: Encouraging a group to get things done an at the same time maintain good relationships within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that the happen; having a positive influence on other people
Temperance Strengths
Forgiveness: Letting go of hurt or anger when someone has done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not seeking revenge
Humility: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is; modesty
Prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not taking big risks; not doing or saying things that will later be regretted; cautious
Self-Regulation: Controlling what one feels and does; willpower
Transcendence Strengths
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence: Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in different domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science—and people’s moral goodness
Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen, taking time to express thanks
Hope: Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about
Humor: Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side of things and situations
Spirituality: Having consistent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; having beliefs about the meaning of life that influence behavior and provide comfort in bad
times; faith; religiousness
You can measure your strengths by taking the free VIA survey found at The VIA survey is a list of questions researchers have shown can be used to calculate and rank your strengths from strongest to to weakest. The test takes 15 to 20 minutes-don’t overthink the answers to the questions—simply go with your initial response.
When you get your results, combine the two lists into one. For more detailed explanation and tips on how to use your strengths, listen to EPISODE FOUR OF THE FIVE TO THRIVE PODCAST.