Your Strengths Have Meaning
In his book, Go Put Your Strengths to Work
Research is starting to show us that we can’t find our meaning out “there”. That the elusive, somewhere over the rainbow feeling, is fake.
Buckingham would say it’s only when you play to your strengths are you satisfied. I’d say that’s true, but you also need to recognize that you must bring meaning with you. It does no good to play to your strengths if your strengths have no meaning. You may be the world’s greatest athlete, but if you despise exercise, how great will you be?
Life is more than just doing what you’re good at. Playing to your strengths. Just like it’s more than working 9-to-5, making a pay check, or becoming famous.
For you to be truly successful or truly happy, you have to bring your meaning to your work. Any other way you do it is hoping in something that’s fickle and temporary. And that’s just not a winning strategy!
photo provided by flickr user midiman
[...] 1. Focus on your strengths. If you want to achieve a goal, you’re less likely to procrastinate. It makes sense. We’re more likely to play video games than do differential calculus. We’re more likely to surf Facebook than write our next report for work. (Assuming we don’t like calculus or report writing.) [...]
[...] suggest the way to success lies with our ability to use strengths, not weaknesses. But it’s more than just finding your strengths. It’s tapping into your passion for what you’re doing. Almost all of us are good at the [...]
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About Eric Barrett
Eric Barrett is an organizational consultant who specializes in applying psychology to communication. He has worked as an organizational psychologist for over a decade, and is most recently working on developing social media guidelines for a real estate company. He also teaches psychology at Xavier University. In his spare time he...wait, who are we kidding...he has no spare time.
He is available on a limited basis for speaking engagements and consulting projects. For more information please see the About Meaning to Work page.
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