If you are like most people who come to a health coach, your primary thought is on what you
would like to change about your health. Naturally, this is most often the case, because the role of
the health coach is to facilitate and partner with you to create positive change.
But it is important to take some time to uncover the strengths that you already possess, and find
out how to apply them to the achievement of your health goal.
I have found over and over, that many people don’t know their own strengths. When asked, many
clients have a difficult time identifying their innate strengths, capacities and positive qualities.
Finding these is important because these developed traits can be an important key to creating
change.
“Being in touch with what we do well underpins the readiness to change,” says David
Cooperrider, the co-founder of Appreciative Inquiry. This means that focusing on our already
developed character strengths can be empowering and transformative. We can learn to apply the
strengths that have served us well, to the new area to be developed.
Here are some ways to begin to identify your strengths:
1. Take stock of your past successes and make a list of your personal attributes that contributed to the success. Some examples may be: Persistence, Courage, Detail-oriented.
2. Ask friends or family members to share the ‘stand-out’ traits that they see in you.
3. Explore the VIA Institute: www.viacharacter.org, an organization dedicated to helping you find your character strengths.
When we proceed from what we already have, our specific strengths, and align our actions with
the deliberate changes we want to make, the results are sure to follow!