We all have super powers. They are things we do so well we don’t even realize that others don’t know how to do them. For example, when I was thinking about organizing my closet, I was overwhelmed. My friend of mine remarked “How could that be overwhelming, it is so easy?” Organizing to her comes naturally, almost like breathing, and it is definitely her super power. Do you know yours? If not, Whitney Johnson, in her book Disrupt Yourself-Master Relentless Change and Speed Up Your Learning Curve has three questions to identify your super powers.
1. What exasperates you? A sign of a super power is when you get frustrated or exasperated when something that comes easily to you doesn’t to others. Although she didn’t visibly show it, I felt my friend was exasperated when I told her I had no idea where to start when it came to organizing and hated doing it. Organizing is what she does for fun and can’t understand how something “fun” could be overwhelming.
2. What compliments do you dismiss? How many times have you received a compliment for something and then you think “that was nothing”? This could be a sign of a superpower. Often we do not realize our own strengths because we do not value something that seems effortless to us. If we are receiving a compliment, it does have value to another person who is noticing it.
3. What do you think about when you have nothing to think about? When you are alone and have time by yourself, what things do you mull over? Pay attention to these things because if it matters to you that much, you might be good at it.
Why Should You Care? Discovering your super powers is important because you are much more likely to be fulfilled if you are using them in your work. A Gallup report, released in October 2018, revealed that people who use their strengths every day are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life and six times more likely to be engaged at work.
In the book, Now Discover Your Strengths, authors Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton write “The real tragedy of life is not that each of us doesn’t have enough strengths, it’s that we fail to use the ones that we have.”
Stacy Harshman, founder of Your Fulfilling Life, brings her experience as a recruiter for a Fortune 500 corporation to her work as a career coach. In addition to helping people discover their passions, she also provides clients with insight into the mind of a recruiter, unlocking the secrets of what employers look for in potential employees. Stacy offers individual coaching in person and by phone to those seeking positive change in their professional lives. Take a quick quiz to learn what is holding you back from being in a fulfilling career. You will receive a customized report of your results. https://assess.coach/yourfulfillinglife
