19 Little Known Reasons Why Your Strengths Matter: Read This If You Wanna Be Happy

If you wanna be happy on a consistent and regular basis you need to know what your specific strengths are, and you need to consciously use them every day. Here are19 reasons why your strengths matter:

• 1. A Gallup Study about strengths, revealed that the more hours per day adults are able to use their strengths, the more likely they are to report that they: have ample energy; feel well-rested and happy; laugh a lot; feel respected and proud.
• 2. This study indicates that people who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs.
• 3. When you find ways to consciously engage in, and use, your strengths realize that you're sharing your natural talents and gifts with the world.
• 4. Strengths-usage is often associated with feelings of accomplishment and timelessness - often referred to being 'in the flow' or 'in the zone'.
  
• 5. Studies also reveal that if you use your strengths every day you are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.
• 6. You'll notice, when you use your natural talents, that you feel an increased sense of well-being and energy. It just feels good to 'be yourself.'
• 7. A happy and energized YOU (because you're using your strengths and feeling satisfied) adds great value and goodness everywhere you go, with everyone you meet, and in everything you do!
• 8. According to Gallup data, employees who simply learn, or are more knowledgeable, about their own strengths are 7.8% more productive.
  
• 9. Managers who built upon the strengths of their employees were 86% more successful, than managers who didn’t.
• 10.  It's pretty hard to give to another what you don't already have or know for yourself.  Managers often do a better job of "seeing" & acknowledging others' strengths if they have fully embraced their own strengths. 
• 11. Top-performing managers were more likely to invest time in high-producing staff, to match talent to tasks, and reward strengths, rather than seniority, when making personnel decisions. (Gallup: Clifton & Harter, 2003)
  
  

Strengths Matter Because...
Your strengths are your preferences, characteristics and interests.
They are the things that you naturally do well and that you enjoy. 
They are unique unto you. 
They were born into you for a reason.
See them as your 'Gift' to the world. 
Look for them in others, even their strengths are different from your own.
Use them every day and you'll feel purposeful, happy, eager and alive.
Take your renewed vigor out into the world, give love and happiness to everyone you meet.

• 12. People whose strengths and talents were identified perceived they had more control over their future than others who did not know their strengths or talents.
• 13.People who report that they “have the opportunity to do what they do best every day” are 44% more likely to succeed on engaging customers and retaining employees and 38% more likely to succeed on productivity measures. These differences can amount to millions of dollars in any large organization. (Gallup: Harter & Schmidt, 2002)

• 14. People who actively develop their strengths are more likely to set learning goals and have a growth mindset, than others whose talents are identified, but not developed. (Louis, 2008)
• 15. Knowing your strengths can help you better manage blind spots and/or 'weaknesses' - since blind spots/'weaknesses' are often just your strengths over-used.
• 16. So many people don't know their strengths which could possibly be one reason for such wide-spread  job dis-satisfaction. A 2012 study showed that three in four adults are NOT using their strengths on a daily basis.  Three in four! There's a lot of room for improvement!!  
  
• 17. Adults who ARE able to use their talents and strengths at work report less stress, more happiness, and more energy. 
  
• 18. A study of salespeople revealed that just one strengths feedback session administered by a manager can have a profound effect on boosting sales. (Gallup: Asplund, 2008)
• 19. Students who learned their strengths, and used them, showed significant increases in self-efficacy, empowerment, self-perception, self-confidence, direction, hope, and altruism. (Gallup: Hodges & Clifton, 2002; Donald Austin, 2006)
  

If You Wanna Be Happy, and You Are Now Convinced That Your Strengths Matter,
Go to Page 2 now for Five Strength Revealing Strategies and Actions

Realize That Society Probably Won't Help You Much...

If wanna be happy - the facts, the studies and your own solid intuitive instincts and experience tell you that naming, claiming and using your strengths more every day is one very solid pathway toward finding and living with more energy and daily motivation.  

This a perfect awareness, but  I also want you to realize that most of the people around you are not encouraging a focus on strengths.  Don't let this obstacle keep you from focusing there though.

For example, pretty much every assessment debrief that I do, whether it's with a CEO or an Administrator, their cultural bias is to focus on 'low scoring areas'.  I can review with them 100+ great characteristics that they bring to their role, but everyone is more worried about that "one negative thing."

Yes development areas do require attention.  And you should cover your bases when something you are doing is causing "stub your toe" moments and/or trouble.  But I can guarantee  that most of your "stub your toe" moments come from the over-use of your strengths.  You do them so well, that oftentimes you're not even aware that they are a strength. Therefore you 'miss' opportunities to manage them and they then become a blind spot.

If you wanna be happy, this great quote points the way:
“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”

And a reminder about the power of a strength-focus, from Now Discover Your Strengths:
"Building on your strengths is about responsibility...Your natural talents are gifts from
God or accidents of birth...Either way you had nothing to do with them. 
From this point of view, to avoid your strengths and to focus on your
weaknesses isn't a sign of diligent humility.  It is almost irresponsible."

Get Five Strength Revealing Strategies and Actions, Page 2, Here...