Strengthfinder 2013: Building on Your Strengths

As I prepare to release another album of chants, I’ve reflected on the numerous roles necessary to make this project happen:  I’ve been the fundraiser, visionary, songwriter, art director, writer, marketer, and business manager.  On top of that, I teach yoga which also includes the role of “....mentor, priest, and healer” as Donna Farhi says in her book Teaching Yoga.  Some of these roles come naturally to me.  I feel most comfortable sitting in front of a class or a guitar.  I feel less comfortable in front of a spreadsheet, calculating expenses; or even worse -- Adobe Photoshop! 

As I was trying to do everything WELL, I remembered Strengthfinder 2.0.  Strengthfinder is the project of a psychology student who posited the following: Focus your attention on your strengths rather than your weaknesses; and surround yourself with people whose strengths are your weaknesses.  There is a book attached to this system and a series of online tests that help you identify your strengths if you are not aware of them already.

But what does that mean for a small business owner who has to do it all?  Well, it means easing up on yourself for not being good at some things.  It means embracing that you are strong at some things and weak in other areas, and that’s okay.  For me, I know that I love to teach and sing; but when it comes to social marketing, planning, and scheduling, my brain cringes!  And that’s okay because I recognize my resistance to do things that I’m not so good at and give myself more time to do them (because it really does take longer). 

Sometimes it’s hard to admit in our culture, in which certain attributes are coveted over others, that we are weak in some areas and stronger in others.  But the idea that we have strengths and weaknesses reveals that we each have our own unique experience of life and things that we are just good at.  That fact encourages us to build on the stuff we do well, instead of focusing on the deficiencies.  For a long time I thought that if a task wasn’t challenging, then it wouldn’t produce any worthwhile fruit.  But quite the opposite, if something is second nature to you, build on it, express it, and show the world your inherent strength!


Click here to explore the Strengthfinder website!