~~PREFACE
I decided to write this ebook because, as a success coach, I run across so many who are simply existing; they’re not living fulfilled lives. But, they have no idea how to break free.

And, even those who do know how to unshackle themselves often find that it’s easy to get sidetracked by outside forces. These can range from non-supportive (but well-meaning) friends and family, to internal fears and lack of self-confidence.


Who Can Benefit from This Info

So I guess you could say that on a broad scale, the information here is for anyone who wants to tap into what their passion is – and have the courage to pursue it. Speaking specifically, however, the material here is for professional women who:

(i) may be working against themselves because they’ve never assessed their strengths and weaknesses;

(ii) want to make a career and/or life change to pursue a passion; and 

(iii) want to learn how to put their innate talents and strengths to use to achieve their dreams.

I speak to this demographic – because I am this demographic.

To this end, following is a window into who I am so you can begin to understand how and why I know this audience – and their hopes, fears and dreams – so well.


Who Is Shari?

After years of trying to figure out what my “gift” was to the world, I landed on the fact that I was good at sales. 
That’s it. 
Sales. 
No one ever took the time to dig into me to find out why I was good at it; they just focused on the fact that I was. 
After many years of reading people like Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy and John C. Maxwell, I became obsessed with understanding how people are motivated and why they are better at some things than others.  Personal development always seemed like something for other people. All I was taught was to work hard. So, I did. 
I put in long hours, knocking on more doors and making more calls than others – whether I was selling vacuum cleaners or encyclopedias. When I began selling for a cosmetics company, I recruited tens of people -- quickly -- in my 20’s.  But I still had no clue as to why I had this talent. In spite of this, I struggled to become successful over the years.
Now I know it’s because I never tapped into the how and whys of what I was good at – ie, sales. This wasn’t discovered until later in my career. I was good at connecting with people. I had a sense of humor. I had a natural talent of speaking in front of people.
If someone had helped me to see how my strengths and natural talent contributed to my success, I would have been successful that much sooner – and I would have written this book (and others) years ago!
Alas, I had to learn on my own. But you don’t have to; there’s no need to flounder and struggle like I did. It’s what inspired me to start the Strong Organization.
If you already know your strengths and talents and how they benefit you, you are ahead of the curve. But if you’re like I was years ago, struggling to uncover what your strengths and talents are, then I hope this information is something that you can use every day -- to make the most of your tomorrows.

All the best,

Shari
Phone: 855-742-7448
Email: info@strongorganization.com

I. WHAT IS MY STRONG BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS


As I said in the ebook, How to Embrace Your Inner Critic: A Simple, 5-Step Guide to Embracing Your Inner Critic and Getting Unstuck – This Week!, one of the things I've noticed over the years is that how successful an individual is depends to a large degree on how they make decisions.

As we know, decision-making is different for every person because it depends on a host of factors, eg, how we respond under stress; how much we're influenced by others; how confident we are; etc. And, this is why I created My STRONG Blueprint For SuccessTM.

By focusing on how we make decisions and all the factors that influence them, My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM identifies six areas that when simply acknowledged, will accelerate your ability to reach your potential. 


My STRONG Blueprint for Success

My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM is an individualized self-development plan that assists you in identifying your strengths, weaknesses and talents. It has helped professionals, entrepreneurs and small business owners enjoy success and a more fulfilling personal life.

In addition to identifying your strengths and talents, it opens your eyes to what your real motivators are so that you can make empowered and rewarding life decisions -- without regret.

Leaders from all walks of life have used this plan to get empowered to achieve success that's balanced and long-lasting through.

Following is a synopsis. 

S: Identify your Strengths

T: Pinpoint your Talents

R: Determine your Real motivators

O: Overcome your obstacles

N: Assess your Needs versus your wants

G: Set your Goals



How My STRONG Blueprint for Success Can Help You

Now that you know what My STRONG Blueprint for Success is, let’s look at how it can specifically help you.

Are You Working Against Yourself?

One of the things I’ve noticed over the years in working with hundreds of clients is that many work “against” themselves. What do I mean by this?

Well, because many have never taken the time to assess what their strengths and talents are, they work towards their goals inefficiently – putting their thoughts, actions and energy into the wrong things. This can lead to frustration, a sense of failure, and eventually a loss of self-esteem.

For example, let’s say you run a small graphic design business and have half a dozen employees.

As any entrepreneur knows, bookkeeping and accounting activities are a large part of owning a business. But, you hate these activities and aren’t good at them. Yet, you spend a large part of your day, week, month, etc., invoicing clients, processing payroll, paying quarterly taxes, etc.

Now, what if you could minimize the time you spent on activities like this and spend more time on what caused you to start your own graphic design business in the first place – actually designing things for clients.

A solution might be to hire a part-time bookkeeper if you can afford it. If you can’t, another solution might be to use an accounting software like QuickBooks to help you streamline these activities.

The 75/25 Rule

The whole idea of My STRONG Blueprint for Success is to help you spend more time working within your “strength zone,” and less time in your weak zone. Many self-improvement experts say that you should spend three-quarters of your time on your strengths and only a quarter on your weaknesses.

Why?

Because you’ll vastly improve your chances for success. You’ll also feel more energetic, committed and confident because you get more enjoyment out of what you’re doing.

My STRONG Blueprint for Success: Parts We’ll Focus on in This Ebook

In order to work within your strength zone and not spend excessive time in your weak zone, you must first know what your strengths, weaknesses and talents are.

To this end, this is what we’ll focus on in this ebook – which are the first two parts of My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM, ie:

S: Identify your Strengths; and

T: Pinpoint your Talents


II. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRENGTHS AND TALENTS


Before we get into how to identify your strengths and talents, let’s first define what we mean when we use these terms as it relates to the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM self-development plan.


What are Strengths?

When most people think of strengths, they think of them in terms of something you’re really good at. And this is true, but it’s only part of the definition for our sake here. A more complete definition is the following . . .

Strengths are your “go to” abilities; you can count on them to achieve optimal performance every time. They allow you to be consistent in all that you do.

Some examples of strength include patience, confidence, empathy, intuition, etc.

How to Use Your Strengths to Pursue Your Passion: An Example

Let’s say you love to design women’s clothing. You love drawing, sketching and even making the actual patterns for the garments. Let’s further say that you were really good at sewing too, but you hate this part of the design process.

So, while sewing is something that comes easily to you (which would make many automatically count it as a strength), it’s not for our sake here because you don’t like to sew. You see, when you don’t like to do something – even if it comes easily to you -- you’re not going to perform at your peak.

It can be draining mentally and physically. And, it depletes your “happiness quotient.” Hence, it’s not a strength. It’s little more than a skill, and if you have to do it too often, it can become a weakness.

This is why for our purposes, a strength must not only be something you’re good at, but something you enjoy doing – and could do over and over and over again – and still perform at a high level. This is because you ENJOY what you’re doing.

So start to retrain your brain to think of strength in this manner. Now, let’s discuss talent.


What Are Talents?

Most define talent as an innate, natural ability, eg, like being a fast runner. But just like strength, it’s an incomplete definition for purposes of the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM self-development plan. The more complete definition is . . .

An inherent ability you possess that must be developed into a strength before it can benefit you.

After all, what’s the use of having a “talent,” if it’s not developed and put to use.

We all have natural talents, like being a fast runner, but it doesn't mean we can count on it to help us achieve optimal performance -- especially if it's a talent that we have no desire to develop, or take the time to develop.

And remember, this is what the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM self-development plan is all about – helping you to achieve optimal performance.

Some examples of talent include: being able to draw, run fast, read quickly, write fiction, etc.

How to Use Your Talents to Pursue Your Passion: An Example

Let’s say you’re a runner. You’ve always wanted to do a full marathon and you want to finish in four hours or less. So, you hire a coach who puts you on a training regimen. She guarantees that if you stick to the program for the next 9 months, you will be able to finish your first marathon in less than four hours.

She even predicts that with your natural talent for running fast, you’ll be able to do it in 3:45 minutes or less, as long as you stay on track with your training. As you love to run (natural ability) and you’re self-motivated (strength), it’s no problem for you to hit the gym 2-3 times per week for strength training and the track 4-6 times per week to run, as your coach suggests. 

See what the possibilities are when you marry your strengths with your talents? Again, this is exactly what the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM self-development plan helps you to do.


Why Identifying Your Strengths and Pinpointing Your Talents Is Necessary

The best way to explain this is to look to any type of competitive sport. Let’s take Olympic sprinting. Perhaps no other sport encapsulates how important milliseconds are. Times are recorded in the following manner:

Athlete A Finishing Time: 3:42:29

Athlete B Finishing Time: 3:42:15

Athlete C Finishing Time: 3:41:59

Only 30 seconds separate these three athletes. But, that’s the difference between gold and bronze.

Not that money is everything, but to underscore what his means in terms of dollars (ie, optimal achievement), the Arizona Republic article, Like Olympic athletes, corporate sponsors go for the gold medals, explained it well, stating:
To an Olympic athlete seeking endorsement deals, just one-hundredth of a second -- often enough to separate gold from silver -- can make the difference between the cover of the Wheaties box and relative obscurity.
"If you look at the people who've been able to cash in on endorsement deals, it's almost always people who win gold," said George Belch, marketing chair at San Diego State University.
Going into the [2012] Olympics, most analysts expected reigning world-champion gymnast Jordyn Wieber to walk away with the individual all-around gold medal, and the majority of endorsement deals. But she failed to qualify for the event.
Dominique Dawes, the 1996 gold-medal gymnast, speculated that this cost Wieber “a couple of million dollars over her career;” this is in spite of the fact that Wieber did win a gold medal – but it was in the team competition.
So what does this have to do with identifying your strengths and pinpointing your talents? In short, it’s about being efficient; about not wasting any part of every weapon in your arsenal. This includes everything from your innate strengths to your cultivated talents.

Section Conclusion
We spent a lot of time on these first two principles in the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM self-development plan because they are the foundation upon which the other principles rest.
Also, as we redefined them – ie, took the generally accepted definitions and built upon them – I wanted to make sure that you totally understand them before moving on because they are the foundation of completing the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM self-development.
With that being said, let’s move on to how to identify strengths and talents. First up, strengths.

III. My STRONG BLUEPRINT for SuccessTM:  HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS


Some people are lucky in that they intuitively tap into their strengths and have the courage to run with them in pursuit of their dreams.

However, as Marcus Buckingham, the “discover your strengths” guru illustrated in the Oprah workshop with professional women discussed on Page 15, most of us don’t play to our strengths. In fact, most of us don’t even trust ourselves to identify what our strengths are. Hence, the following exercise.

The Importance of Completing This Exercise Using a Pencil and Paper (No Electronics)

While this exercise can be completed on a computer, I encourage you to use a pen/pencil and paper. Why?

Because it gets you “closer” to what you’re saying. The words and ideas have to actually flow you’re your head down your arm, through your hand and onto the page. Also, with a keyboard, it’s too easy to hit the back and/or delete button and get rid of chunks of text in one fell swoop.

But, when you have to actually write whole sentences with a pen/pencil, you tend to be much more careful about what you write, right? While this method may seem a bit “old school,” it forces you to really think – and that’s the idea. Now, to the exercise.


My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM Strength Detection Exercise

Get out a piece of paper and complete the following exercise.

Step I: Life Vision
Write down your ideal life, i.e., what your life would look like if money, family, health, etc., were not hindering factors. The purpose of this is to crystallize what your utopia looks like.
This is important because remember, the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM self-development plan is all about helping you to achieve your dreams. Hence, it’s important to know exactly what they are. This way, when you encounter obstacles and opportunities in life, you can immediately discern if they’re getting you closer to – or further away from – your dreams.

Step II: Character Traits

Write down all your “positive” character traits, eg, I’m a good listener, reliable, outgoing, etc.

Write down all of your “negative” character traits, eg, I’m impatient, unorganized, etc.
Note: The reason the words positive and negative are in quotation marks above is because I want you to understand that there are no judgments attached to these traits. The goal is to figure out where your strengths lie. To do this, recognizing what you’re not good at is as important to your success is knowing what you are good at. And that’s why you should list both.

Character Trait Assessment Tip: Where possible, get a trusted friend or family member to weigh in on this section.

Give them a sheet of paper and ask them to list your positive and negative character traits. The reason for doing this is it can be difficult to honestly assess yourself when it comes to this. So having someone who knows you well do it can really fill in any blind spots you may have.
Step III: Excitement
Write down things that intrinsically excite you; that you look forward to, eg, playing drums, planting flowers, fixing old cars. It doesn’t matter if you’re good at it (eg, fixing cars) or bad at it (eg, playing drums). The only requirement is that you enjoy them – immensely.
Write down as many things as you can. When finished, trim the list down to your top three (but keep the entire list handy).
If you get stuck on which ones to eliminate, go with your gut. Imagine having to live without one; which one would it be? If you can’t decide between, for example, two of them, try the following:
(i) Picture doing one – as opposed to the other -- for the rest of your life; and
(ii) See how this fits in with your overall life vision (Step I).
One will undoubtedly feel -- and fit – better than the other. Your very next question might be, “What if one thing feels better, but another fits better?”

This is very possible, and the answer will be found in Step III of the My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM plan, which is “R: Determining your Real motivators.” This is why you should keep your entire list handy, but try as hard as you can though to get the list down to three things that really excite you.


Why It’s Important to Continually Nurture and Develop Your Strengths

Many of us spend an inordinate amount of time working on our weaknesses, when in fact we should be spending time nurturing and developing our strengths.

This seems counter-intuitive, because the very definition of strength is “power,” right? As in, it’s something that’s already fortified; that doesn’t need development or nurturing.

But remember, the conventional definition of strength is an incomplete one. And, according to the 75/25 rule discuss on Page 5, we should be spending 75% of our time playing to your strengths, as opposed to our weaknesses.

Working on (worrying about) your weaknesses is draining – emotionally and physically. It can lead to low self-esteem, loss of self-confidence and loss of energy. This is true for almost anyone who has to be constantly reminded of what they’re not good at.

Conversely, by expending your energies working on your strengths, you work more efficiently, gain more confidence and are happier overall – because you’re focusing on what you are good at.


The “Strength” Secret Elite Athletes Know

Remember the lessons from elite athletes we discussed on Page 15?

They learn early on that not only are they more successful when they play to their strengths; in fact, it’s a necessary component of the success formula. And this is why it’s critically important to constantly nurture your strengths.

It’s literally fuel for the body and soul.



IV. MY STRONG BLUEPRINT for SuccessTM:  HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR TALENTS


Now that you’ve identified your strengths, let’s flesh out your talents. Note: Some of your talents may overlap with things on your strengths list, and that’s fine. It’s because your strengths, for the most part, start with a talents.


My STRONG Blueprint for SuccessTM Talent Detection Exercise

Remember to use pen and paper to complete this exercise.


Step I. Things I’m Good At

These would be things that you’re naturally good at; things that come easily to you, eg, writing, knitting, organizing functions, softball, etc.

While most think of talents in concrete forms (eg, good athlete), they actually run the gamut – from the creative, to the social, to the intellectual – to the athletic.

Step II. Things Others Have Told Me I’m Good At

Sometimes, we have blind spots as to what we’re good at. I believe that every person knows their talents, but some take them for granted so they don’t really recognize it as a talent. So, it’s always good to do this mental check with yourself.

Where possible, ask those who know you well what they think some of your talents are; some things they’ve noticed that you’re really good at. This way, you’ll have a more complete profile of what your talents are.

Step III. Things I Like to Do

There is a minute difference, but an important one, from Step I in that there are some things you may be good at that you don’t like to indulge in, and vice versa. So it’s important to write these down.

Step IV. Rate Your Talents

On a scale of 1 to 10, write down how happy you are when you are engaged in a particular talent, with 1 being sad and 10 being extremely happy. For example, if you have a talent for baking, but don’t really like to do it, then you might rate it a 1 or 2.


Just like in the strength detection exercise, list as many of your talents as you can. Then, go back and trim the list down to the top three (but again, keep the entire list handy).


The Importance of Identifying Your Talents

Just like with your strengths, you use your energy more efficiently. You can use this knowledge to identify career and life options that add to your happiness. But, talent is never enough. Following is why.


Why Talent Is Never Enough

On its own, talent might get you in some doors, but it won’t keep you inside those doors. To stay inside, the innate talent you have must be nurtured and developed into a bona fide strength, one you can count on to give you a consistent performance.

This is only accomplished via: (i) recognizing what your talents are; and (ii) working hard to develop them.

Just like a “talented” athlete, you must put in the training time in order to become a pro. And as you hone your talents and get better, you become more assured, more confident in the choices you make – and happier overall.

See how it’s all a building process – one that starts with recognizing what your talents are?


Just So You Know . . . The Most Prevalent Themes of Human Talent

Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton (in conjunction with the Gallup organization), analyzed information from over two million people over a 34-year period. They focus on strengths, and came up with a list of 34 of the most prevalent themes of human talent.

They are, in alphabetical order: achiever, activator, adaptability, analytical, arranger, belief, command, communication, competition, connectedness, context, deliberative, developer, discipline, empathy, fairness, focus, futuristic, harmony, ideation, inclusiveness, individualization, input, intellection, learner, maximizer, positivity, relator, responsibility, restorative, self-assurance, significance, strategic, and woo.

You can find out where you fall using the StrengthsFinder Assessment Tool: http://GallupStrengthsCenter.com. Note: There is a fee.

V. CONCLUSION


My hope is that after finishing the exercises here, you will have at least accomplished the following:

(i) Identified your strengths;

(ii) Pinpointed your talents; and

(iii) Identified ways to stay out of your weak zone.

Just by doing these three things, you will have come a long way towards using your time more effectively. Thomas Jefferson said, “Don’t waste time, for that is what success is made of.”

While we seem to have more time-saving technology than Jefferson ever dreamed of in his day, many of us waste it unknowingly by working against what our natural talents and abilities are.

Are You Part of This 17%?

In Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance, Marcus Buckingham, the best-selling author who’s best known for promoting what he calls "strengths,” stated the following:

Today, despite more than two million people taking the Clifton StrengthsFinder Profile, when you poll people with the question, ‘What percentage of a typical day do you spend playing to your strengths?’ only 17 percent answer ‘most of the time.’

This was underscored in a workshop Buckingham hosted for 30 professional women at the request of Oprah in 2007. At the workshop, Buckingham asked the participants if they played to their strengths during a typical work day. Stunningly, not one woman out of the 30 present said that they did.

What’s perhaps even more revealing is that all of the women admitted that they’re NOT the best judge of their own strengths. Remember, these were professional, “go-getter” women, which brings me to my next point.


What the Michael Jordans and Tiger Woods of the World Can Teach You

One thing that elite athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods learn from an early age is that not only are they more successful when they know their talents and play to their strengths, they’re taught that it’s a necessary part of being successful.

It’s as critical as going to the gym every day, eating right and practicing. As most of us aren’t elite athletes, we never learn these lessons.

I've helped people all over the world do just this. And I can help you too. My mantra is:

“When you marry your strengths with your talents, the possibilities truly are endless.”

All you have to do is reach out. So, give me a call or drop me an email and I’ll be in touch right away so we can get started. I look forward to hearing from you.

Shari
Phone: 855-742-7448
Email: info@strongorganization.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/StrongSuccessAcademy
Twitter: @STRONGdecisions
Pinterest: Pinterest.com/strongstar
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJBKyYK58_OpQzpolVHNIoQ

P.S.: Are you ready to find out what your strengths and weaknesses are so you can reach your full potential? I can help. Sign up for your free, 30-minute, life-changing strategy session at www.StrongSuccessAcademy.com Let's discuss your dreams and formulate a plan for achieving them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Disclaimer: The data contained herein is general in nature and is for informative purposes only. It is based on the author's personal experience. The author, publisher and/or distributor assume no responsibility whatsoever, under any circumstances, for any actions taken as a result of the information contained herein.