Strengths in Practice: Drawing a Line

With this series, I want to help you explore what strengths we use on a daily basis. Our strengths rarely appear on their own but rather in concert. This might be the one of the reasons why it can be difficult to identify them. Moreover, strengths can also influence each other and are sometimes bigger than just the sum of each individual strength. This adds to the confusion. On the other hand, we are quite good at identifying what is not good. I designed this series to be more aware of something positive in our lives. Maybe it can also shed some light on the strengths you use each day, helping you to get to know yourself at a deeper level.

To give you some background, I will write about strengths that, from my point of view, are elemental to succeeding in this specific endeavour. The strengths I will refer to are the 24 Character Strengths based on Seligman and Peterson’s work. They can also be discovered on the VIA website: https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths

Drawing a Line

In today’s example, I want to have a look at the strengths we use in order to draw a line. It can be difficult to stand up for yourself. Nevertheless, this is something we need to be able to. Letting people walk all over you or you constantly ignoring your own needs, will be detrimental to your relationships with others and the relationship toward yourself. So which strengths did I identify as core to being able to draw a line?

Honesty

Honesty, because you need to be open and honest about your feelings. This includes being open toward others AND yourself.

Bravery

Bravery, because standing up for yourself and your needs demands courage and can be a difficult and frightening thing to do. Especially when it involves speaking to loved ones.

Perseverance

Perseverance, because you will be tested. Again and again. People don’t like to change. You will feel the need to go back to old behaviours and so do others as well.

Hope

Hope, because speaking to someone to set your boundaries involves believing that this person will understand and that something can change.

What do you think?

Which strengths do you use in this example that I didn’t mention? How do you use it? Or do you use those strengths in a different way? Let me know in the comments.

Please send me a daily task, behaviour, habit, … you want me to explore from a strengths-perspective. Even if you already know which strengths you use, maybe you can discover something new and at least you might have some fun me coming up with creative ways how to use our strengths in this situation.

Have a wonderful day!

Cheers, Stephan