Exercise 2:  Personal Strengths

This exercise has two parts:

1. First, you will review the list of Personal Strengths that follows and pick one of your signature strengths. A signature strength is one that makes you feel:

● A sense of ownership and authenticity (“This is the real me”)

● A feeling of excitement or satisfaction while using it

● Energized, rather than exhausted, while using the strength

2. You will then use that signature strength in some way in the next 24 hours and will record how you used it, the result, and how you felt while using it.

List of Personal Strengths:

1. Curiosity [interest]: Taking an interest in an experience for its own sake; exploring and discovering.

2. Love of learning: Mastering new skills and knowledge, whether alone or with others.

3. Bravery [courage]: Not avoiding threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; acting on your beliefs even if unpopular.

4. Persistence [perseverance]: Finishing what you start; persisting with something in spite of hard times or barriers.

5. Honesty [authenticity]: Presenting yourself in a real and genuine way; taking responsibility for your feelings and actions.

6. Zest [enthusiasm]: Approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated.

7. Love: Valuing close relationships with others, particularly those in which sharing and caring are returned.

8. Social intelligence: Being aware of the feelings and ideas of yourself and others.

9. Teamwork: Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group.

10. Fairness: Treating all people the same according to the ideas of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings get in the way of decisions that affect other people.

11. Leadership: Encouraging a group to get things done and still maintaining good relationships with group members.

12. Humility / Modesty: Letting your accomplishments speak for themselves; not bragging that you are more special than you really are.

13. Self-control [self-regulation]: Regulating what you feel and do; being disciplined; controlling your appetites and emotions.

14. Appreciation of beauty and excellence: Appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance.

15. Humor [playfulness]: Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side of life.

16. Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose]: Having clear beliefs about a higher purpose, the meaning of life, or the meaning of the universe.