Book 11

1. Strengths

Identifying our strengths can give us an instant confidence boost because it reminds ourselves of things we can do that are really great. But sometimes when we don’t notice our strengths right away, we assume that we don’t have any, or worse, downplay the ones we do have. A common exercise to find our strengths includes making a list of everything that we are good at. Review this list several times and remember a time when you had to use each attribute. Keep this list nearby to always remind yourself of them and remain confident.

Tips for finding strengths:

• Analyze how you handle situations
• Determine what your desires are and how you go after them
• Examine the ways you solve problems

2. Best Practices

Sometimes the term ‘best practices’ can seem confusing if we don’t attach them to something. In Appreciative Inquiry, best practices refer to the practices that work best for you and what works best for the company. What practices make you the most confident and positive? What practices make you feel successful when you finish them? What practices improve employee morale and progress? Remember that these practices can be individualized to each person, so what works for one person may not work for another.

Tips:

• What practices make you feel as though you’ve accomplished something?
• What practices boost your confidence?
• What practices make you feel positive about the end result?

3. Peak Experiences

Peak experiences are commonly defined as moments in which we feel the highest levels of happiness and possibility. They can happen in everyday situations or during extreme events in our lives. They can happen when we accomplish a new goal or finish a long project. The key is to remember how they made us feel and made us feel positive and confident. While they are not necessarily an ‘ah-ha’ moment in our lives, peak experiences can help us notice key moments in our lives and how we felt when we experienced them. Keeping these memories with you at all times will ensure that you can always receive a lift of positivity when we need it.

4. Successes

Sometimes personal modesty can keep us from seeing our own successes, which can keep us from feeling fully confident or self-assured. Our past successes are often viewed as our roots, or the areas that be started from and built upon to progress forward. We often forget to use these successes to remind us what it took to get us to our personal level of achievements. But when we relive these successes, it can remind us that we can overcome almost anything and can feel ultimately better about ourselves. When we feel more confident in ourselves and our success, it can reduce our stress and serves as an anchor for positivity.

Remembering successes:

• Keep a visual reminder, such as a trophy or chart.
• Review these successes in your head constantly
• Talk about successes with friends and learn from each other

5. Case Study

Robert was feeling depressed after his last presentation. He felt as though he didn’t do as great of a job as he normally does and was feeling sad about it. Robert was determined to bounce back on his next presentation. First, he made a list of all of his personal strengths and how he puts them to good use. Then he made notes of some ways his strengths helped him reach his other goals. When he remembered all of his past successes, he felt very confident in himself and felt like he could do a better job on the next project. He was determined not to let one mishap stop him from succeeding next time.