Getting to know yourself all over again after major changes in your life can leave you wondering and lost. Identifying who you are now means you have to look at all aspects of your life, your personality and your values. One of those areas is determining what you are good at.
What comes easy for you? What skills and talents do you take for granted, that you don’t even think about doing when you are doing them?
The things you are good at doing is a part of your uniqueness. Paying attention to this talent gives you an insight into your own identity and the purpose of who you are.
What comes easy for you? Maybe you can sew an outfit that stuns your friends. This means you’re creative, have an engineering mind and like to help people feel good about themselves.
Can you put together systems that keep you super organized in your life and business? Your systems help your business run smoothly, allowing you to manage your time easily. Having these skills means you are organized, take charge and can analytically assess a situation.
What do you do if you don’t know what your strengths are? Try these tips.
- Ask yourself or others. Ask people you trust and respect what they think your strengths are. Ask yourself what you routinely do for family and friends.
- Take an assessment test. These online tests are excellent for helping you identify your broad strengths.
- Keep a diary or journal. Write down what you do even when you aren’t thinking about what you are doing. Those things you do that seem simple to you are a big indicator of who you are.
- Look for patterns. What jobs have you excelled at? What experiences did you enjoy the most? Look at the jobs, experiences, relationships and events you’ve enjoyed throughout your life and see what they have in common.
- Think carefully about all the things you do and have done in your life. Make a list of what you’ve found easy. And begin thinking of how these things make up your personality.
Realize though, that your identity isn’t just what you do for a living or the things you are good at. Your identity is the sum of everything about you: your personality, your talents, your experiences, your skill, how you show up in relationships and your job.
And the things you are good at isn’t the only thing that makes up your identity. You could be good at negotiating with others but that doesn’t mean your identity is simply a negotiator. You might also be good at taking charge, communicating or some other type of attribute that when put together makes up who you are.
What you are good at is anything that comes easily to you. It’s the things that you do without having to struggle to do that are inherent to your identity. Use these as a piece of the puzzle that makes up who you are as you learn to get to know yourself again.