H ere we are at the time of year during which we look back at what we did and didn’t accomplish in the last year and ahead at what we want to accomplish in the new year.  Some of us take this look backward and forward with a great sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, encouragement, and hope.  Many of us want to hide our eyes from the things we said we would do but didn’t, the accomplishments for which we had hoped that didn’t materialize, and the ‘new me’ that faded into the shadows of the ‘real me.’  If you find yourself in the camp of those of us who didn’t quite accomplish all of our goals in the old year, I have a proposal for you.  Let’s make a new kind of resolution.  Let’s not resolve to be someone we are not and to accomplish a goal that is not for us to accomplish.  Instead, let’s resolve to know and embrace our deepest strengths and to make the greatest use of them in the new year.  In other words, I resolve to be the BEST ME ever!

How do we do that?  Admittedly, it’s a change in thinking from the usual list of actions we want to take (or not take) in the new year, but focusing on our strengths and living those strengths in a more robust and empowering way just may be worth re-wiring how we think about our resolutions.  Experts tell us that if we focus on changing those things about ourselves that are our weaknesses, the most we can probably hope for is to neutralize those weaknesses enough to avoid tripping over them in our daily lives.  In other words, those weaknesses will probably not suddenly become our greatest strengths.  No wonder we become disillusioned when “the big resolution” falls apart by February 1st.  However, if we begin with our strengths – those parts of us that represent who we are at our very best – and build on those strengths, we are more likely to flourish and grow our impact because we’re starting with what we already know makes us great.

How do we figure out our strengths?  One way is to sit quietly and reflect on your finest moments in the last year.  When you do this, you will begin to see some of your strengths emerge.  Another way is to ask someone you trust and who knows you well to describe your greatest strengths.  There are also a number of online assessments that can help you discern your strengths.  Some examples include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Strong Interest Inventory, the StrengthsFinder assessment, values assessments, and many more.  Start taking some assessments, talking to those who know you well, and reflecting on your strengths.

Then what?  Identify ways that you can use those strengths in more powerful or new ways.  For example, I know someone who is a nurturer.  Nurturing and caring for others is a strength – a natural gift – for her.  One year, she decided she was going to be more intentional about nurturing others.  She sought out and found people who needed someone to come alongside them, believe in them, invest in them, and nurture them.  The impact she made in just a few months was immeasurable to those individuals.

What will you do?  Resolve to eat healthier?  Save more money?  Find a new job?  These are all great resolutions!  But what would happen if you resolved to tap into your strengths – your greatest YOU – and amplify that in 2020?  You just may be a powerhouse in the new year, my friend!