Knowing what you are good at and developing those capabilities is key to your success. Nobody is meant to be great at everything. In fact, the most successful people know exactly where their strengths lie and where they don’t. They then surround themselves with people that bridge the gap in capability for them.
A muscle stays strong through use and training. Like a muscle, your capabilities work the same way. Once you have uncovered your strengths you should look to see how you can keep developing those strengths so they stay strong and don’t become weak. Simply using the same capability the same way will not keep it strong. You must look for opportunities to utilise your strengths in different ways and ensure you keep investing in new knowledge to ensure your capability stays up to date.
This activity is really simple. It’s about helping you uncover the best ways for you to continue to build on your strengths in ways that best suit you. Going to a formal training is not for everybody. Some learn better through experience, others through reading and so on. In some cases, a formal qualification or certificate may be required so be sure to remain open to that possibility and also look for other creative ways in which you can develop your strength. With some much information constantly available and through multiple mechanisms there’s no shortage of learning opportunities for you. So go exploring!
Below is an activity to help you shift your thinking towards a GROWTH MINDSET for continuous improvement…
Capture the outcome you seek to achieve in your life
E.g. A health goal, a relationship goal, a business goal, a wealth goal or a spiritual goal
FORMAL TRAINING: Search online for any formal training qualifications that may exist for that capability that could be completed live or online
VIDEOS: Search YouTube and TED talks for any content related to that capability
PODCASTS: Find a podcast that relates in some way to the capability
BOOKS: Search online for books related to the capability that you could purchase and read
EXPERIENCES: Brainstorm a list of real life, practical experiences that would enable you to practice that capability
SUPPORT: Identify a role model or mentor that best demonstrates that capability that you could observe and learn from
Develop a lesson plan
Commit to a time period each week (an hour, 4 hours, a day etc) that you can dedicate to boosting your knowledge on this capability.
With the amount of information available to us constantly, and with the ease of access we have to this information through technology, your education is really in your hands. There is no obstacle to you being able to find at least one mechanism for learning more about your chosen capability. Your growth is your responsibility. Nurture your strengths so they remain strong and they will over time enable new strengths to emerge.