Article published on LinkedIn.com: March 17, 2023

KNOWING YOURSELF

To progress and be happy, it is fundamental to know oneself. Here are some questions to ask yourself. There are many others and during your introspection you will surely add more.

·         Are you a spoiled child?

·         Are you self-centered?

·         Do you know right from wrong?

·         Are you logical?

·         Do you have a critical mind?

·         Are you resourceful?

·         Do you take everything for granted?

·         Are you ready to make the first effort?

·         Do you have a sense of organization?

·         Do you know how to manage priorities?

·         Are you comfortable in teamwork?

You have to take a critical look at yourself and recognize that sometimes you can be wrong. This skill is the very basis of career development potential, because by knowing our weak points, we are able to find ways to improve.

In this quest for ourselves, others can be useful to us. The perspective and opinion of colleagues and clients help to get the facts straight about our work. Annual reviews as well.

Do the same comments come up every time?

What links can we make between them and what can we deduce?

We must be attentive to what the environment tells us. Personal strengths are very important in the intellectual growth of a person. These are the attributes that define us as individuals.

Positive attributes can include being honest, kind, patient, respectful, motivated, confident, and self-disciplined. While negative attributes can include being dishonest, impulsive, cruel, selfish, and obnoxious.

Overall, personal strengths are the personal skills we use to achieve goals. These are also the skills that help us survive.

With that in mind, it's easy to see why some people see negative attributes as strengths. However, these « strengths » rarely lead to positive relationships and high levels of satisfying and lasting success.

If we really want to change our lives and take more control over our future, personal strengths are the starting point to start developing basic skills.

Generally speaking, positive attracts positive and produces better results. Thus, our main goal should be to acquire and develop positive attributes. However, since no one is perfect, allowing time to minimize weaknesses is also a good idea.

A personal inventory is a good starting point. Before acquiring and developing the skills that will allow us to succeed, we must first identify these specific skills.

A good way to do this is to create a personal inventory that outlines current strengths and weaknesses. This personal assessment will help develop an overall plan for developing the skills needed.

You will need to assess where you stand on honesty and trust simply because they are the most important to personal strength and a crucial element of good character.

On the other hand, if we are obnoxious or intimidating, cooperation with others will be more difficult. Always keep in mind that dishonesty can easily destroy relationships and lead to dismissal.

As mentioned before, the positive tends to attract the positive. Honest people tend to attract honest people and dishonest people tend to attract dishonest people.

Who do you think will have the easiest path to success?

The main thing, remember that all of this will take a lot of hard work, but it will be the best investment you've ever made to help you succeed. Take the time to know yourself and you will find that your days are more fulfilling and produce more happiness and above all, will show you the way to success.

Find out more about how to « know about yourself, then know about others » with My Success Is Your Success. The book through questions, quotes and reflections provides the necessary elements to explore yourself so to shape your success and help those around you do the same. Remember that success is all about team efforts!

This book is the result of forty years of experience acquired with local and international organizations and companies and during consultancy, change management, transition and marketing services. This 404-page personal development book was published by WebTech Publishing and is available online in English, North American French and European versions. For more information and to view the flip book, visit webtechPublishing.

About the Author In addition to writing, Germain Decelles acts as Change Management Strategist. He has over 40 years of business and consultation experience with local and international markets, including sectors such as retail trade, distribution, information technology and communications, transportation, manufacturing, financial services, and government organizations. Other publications: ISO Pour Tous – Le manuel d’information ISO – Le guide de préparation ISO – La gestion du changement en affaires – La gestion de projet d’affaires – Le changement POUR TOUS – Change your future, now! – Mon succès est votre succès. Press Contact Germain Decelles, o.s.j. WebTech Management et Publication Incorpored

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