Strengths

The Life Story Challenge

Overview Video

This discussion will focus on identifying strengths and strategies to best develop and utilize those strengths. In this discussion, each person will have the opportunity to share their strengths and how they have developed them.

Pre-Discussion Preparation

We have included the following activities to help you prepare for the discussion: 

  • You may want to read the discussion questions and contemplate your answers to them in preparation for the upcoming conversation with your group members. 

  • Try to identify 3–5 of your strengths and trace their impact on your life. 

    • We have included a list of strengths below to help you brainstorm. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It is merely intended to be a starting point in your own personal exploration of your strengths, so feel free to choose strengths that may not be on the list provided.

    • Ambition, Athleticism, Authenticity, Cleverness, Compassion, Charisma, Confidence, Considerateness, Courage, Creativity, Curiosity, Dedication, Determination, Discipline, Empathy, Enthusiasm, Fairness, Flexibility, Focus, Friendliness, Generosity, Gratitude, Helpfulness, Honesty, Humility, Humor, Imagination, Independence, Ingenuity, Industriousness, Initiative, Inspiration, Integrity, Intelligence, Kindness, Leadership, Logic, Motivation, Observation, optimism, Originality, Organization, Patience, Peacefulness, Persuasiveness, Respect, Responsibility, Spirituality, Spontaneity, Team player, Thoughtfulness, Thriftiness, Vision, Wisdom.

    • We have also included the following questions to help you identify your core values:

      • What knowledge and skills have you gained through education? Through your career?

      • What comes easily to you or feels second nature?

      • What do people ask you to help them with?

      • What qualities do you love about yourself?

      • What skills have others complimented you on?

Discussion Questions

Below are a series of questions that may help facilitate your discussion. There is no need to answer every question; instead, feel free to focus on the questions that members of your group seem most excited about.

  • How did you discover your strengths? Did you always have them? Or did you consciously choose to develop them?

  • Have your strengths led to the development of other strengths? If so, how?

  • What can hold you back from developing your strengths and fulfilling your true potential? Discuss as a group how these things can be overcome.

  • How have you used your strengths to accomplish your goals?

  • How have your strengths affected your decisions? Did they help determine the course of your life? Why or why not?

Post-Discussion Activities

Below are two activities that you can complete after the discussion to deepen your learning and to prepare you to write your life story: 

  • Identify the strengths that play an important role in your identity formation and identity story. After identifying your strengths, you may want to write them down, so you can remember them when you start crafting your life story.

  • Record any important takeaways from both your own thoughts and those shared by others during the discussion.

Overview Video Research

  1. Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.926.1087

  2. Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Strengths of character and well-being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603–19. doi: 10.1521/jscp.23.5.603.50748

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