Happiness tip: Find and use your strengths at work

Do you know what you’re really good at in your job? Where you shine? Do you have a good sense of your contributions to the workplace?

This week’s happiness tip is to take the VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire and find what your top 5 personal strengths are out of a total of 24 potential personal strengths.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Go take the VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire. You’ll be asked to register as a user first but it is free.
2. Take the test. It has 240 questions so this can take a while :)
3. Make a list of your top 5 strengths.
4. For each of your top 5 signature strengths, try to write down some situations at work where you used those strengths.
5. Take a look at your list. What strengths do you get to use often at work? These represent your main contribution to the workplace.
6. What strengths do you rarely or never use at work? These represent untapped potential for you and your workplace. Is there any way you could get to use them more often?
7. If you like, come back to this post and write your top 5 strengths in a comment so we can get to know each other a little better. I already wrote my top strengths in a comment :o)

This is a great exercise because it helps you discover your personal contribution to the workplace and also to find out of you have strengths that you are not currently using at work. Using your strengths daily is an important factor in becoming happy at work and in life. It will also make you more successful at work.

Finally, a strengths-based approach where you look at your personal strengths and how you can use them more at work is a lot more effective and a lot more fun than looking at your shortcomings and problems.