Defining and Using Personality Strengths and Weaknesses

Personality strengths chart

5 questions

1 other way to identify strengths and weaknesses

2 Personality test recommendations

1 example for using your personality strengths and weaknesses in stressful situations

When faced with stresses like job hunting, life changes, and lifestyle crisis we have a tendency to approach them all in the same way.  An interview, a day full of kids or the end of the month...

       I’m stressed. 

This is terrible! 

         
This is the worst day, year, or decade of my life! 

When facing stress our emotions can cloud our responses and bring out too many of our weaknesses. Being overwhelmed, over-extended, emotional, nervous, worn out, burnt out, angry, frustrated, or scared 

is

average 

and

completely sane reactions.

However, they are not good strategies for controlling stress

Use your personality strengths to make stress fun. 

Stress is fun.

(Wait, wait, don’t leave!) I’m suggesting a novel approach to stress. You're saying, “Not having enough money, losing my keys or having family problems is completely the opposite of fun.” 

Let me explain.

Recently, my dog decided that my spare bedroom was a great doggy bathroom and I didn’t have the money right away to get it steam cleaned. It stunk up the whole house! And, I had to leave the windows open in the middle of February. Freezing in an igloo of a house doubling as a dog porta-potty is not exciting or pleasant in any way! That’s not FUN! Definitely stressful though.

Why then do I suggest that stress can be fun? 

Maybe I mis-spoke. Stress itself is not fun. But, you can use it as an opportunity to find out what your strength and weaknesses are, what you enjoy, and use those things to deal with stress. (Once you know what your strength and weaknesses are it’s a lot easier to answer that interview question, budget money, deal with family, change bad habits- one less stress!)
 

An example of how I used my personality strength and weakness for controlling stress.

 

Step 1. I put on my coat while scolding the dog. I even used all the curse words I knew in one sentence.  This is where I recognized that my favorite thing in the entire world is laughing. Now, I had used all the curse words and it came out in an obnoxious but silly sentence and some of my stress dissipated as I laughed. If you are not one to use profanity, you might try something like, "Dirty words, dirty words, DIRTY WORDS!"

Step 2. I looked around the house and saw my stacks of paper in jeopardy from a cold gust and weighted them down. Another thing I enjoy is feeling strong, so after lifting several heavy objects I was a little pumped. I succeeded! I succeeded at making sure all my things in my frigid little house didn’t blow away. Yay for me. Congratulations! I love attention, even if I’m the only one giving it to myself.

 

Step 3. I asked if there was any possible way that I could keep myself from being miserable. “Alright fine” I said, to my mother’s voice in the back of my brain.

“I will make it into an adventure.”

Many years of rainy, off-season, coastal, family vacations had prepared me for just this situation. I love camping. It plays to the personality strength of self-reliance. I found the mini marshmallows popped them on a fork and roasted them over the burner. I made hot cocoa. I pulled out every blanket I had out, snuggled up with the cat, and made the appointment with the cleaning guy for after payday.

Step 4. I negotiated. I’m not particularly good at asking for a discount or… Well, I’m not good at negotiating at all.  I do, however, enjoy being a kind and generous person, and if someone explained their situation to me I would be likely to help out. So, I explained the situation and sure enough, doing what I enjoyed ended up getting me a one third off the cleaning. Again I felt successful with a side of thrifty, this time.

 

You can imagine how poorly this could have gone had I given into the typical reactions to stress, right?

My Personality Strengths and Weakness 

 I love to laugh. I like to feel strong and successful. I love to be self-reliant. I like to be resourceful. I'm no good at negotiating. I love attention (this can be a weakness).These are the things I enjoy and used for controlling stress in this particular situation. 

Are you starting to see how you can use your personality strengths and weakness for controlling your stress through a variety of situations?

Your Personality Strengths and Weakness

Maybe your strengths are organizational.  In my situation, you could have taken the time to do a re-file while building up body heat (yes, it can count as exercise, another good stress relief tip, if it gets your heart rate up). Or, perhaps, you enjoy being in charge and in my position you could command the furniture into new positions. 

Of course it’s silly. But, when faced with big and little problems throughout a lifetime, you have to know what your strength and weakness is and how to use them to your benefit: starting with controlling stress. 

"But what am I good at?!" you ask. 

Here is the personality strengths chart you have been looking for. Not just the usual answers to the, "What is your greatest strength?" question.

Able	Communicative	Extroverted	Knowledgeable	Quick
Accommodating	Competent	Factual	Leader	Quick learner
Accomplished	Competitive	Fair	Leading edge	Quiet
Accountable	Complimentary	Fearless	Liberal	Rational
Accounting	Computer savvy	Fervent	Lighthearted	Realistic
Accurate	Confident	Finisher	Listener	Reasonable
Achiever	Conformative	Flexible	Live wire	Receptive
Active	Conscientious	Focused	Lively	Relaxed
Active listener	Conservative	Follow through	Logical	Reliable
Adaptable	Considerate	Follower	Loyal	Reserved
Adept	Consistent	Forgiving	Managerial	Respectful
Adventurous	Content	Free spirit	Mature	Risk taker
Aggressive	Controlled	Friendly	Mechanical	Self-controlled
Agile	Cooperative	Funny	Mediator	Self-reliant
Alert	Coordinative	Generous	Merciful	Self-starter
Ambitious	Counselor	Gentle	Methodical	Self-directed
Amiable	Courageous	Giving	Culturally aware	Self-reliant
Amusing	Courteous	Goal oriented	Moral	Self-sufficient
Analytical	Creative	Go-getter	Motivational	Sensitive
Anticipatory	Critical	Good judgment	Multi-tasker	Sincere
Approachable	Curious	Good natured	Musical	Sociable
Articulate	Decisive	Grateful	Negotiator	Soothing
Artistic	Dependable	Gregarious	Numerical	Spiritual
Assertive	Determined	Hard worker	Objective	Spontaneous
Astute	Dignified	Harmonious	Observant	Stabilizing
Attentive	Diplomatic	Healthy	Open	Stimulating
Attractive	Direct	Helper	Open-minded	Successful
Autonomous	Directive	Honest	Optimistic	Supportive
Balanced	Discerning	Hospitable	Organized	Sympathetic
Bright	Disciplined	Humorous	Organizer	Systematic
Businesslike	Discreet	Idealistic	Original	Tactful
Calm	Distinctive	Imaginative	Outgoing	Task oriented
Carefree	Distinguished	Independent	Passionate	Tasteful
Careful	Do gooder	Industrious	Patient	Teachable
Caring	Doer	Influential	People oriented	Team player
Categorical	Driven	Informative	Perceptive	Tenacious
Certain	Easy going	Ingenious	Perfectionist	Thorough
Challenging	Educated	Initiator	Persistent	Thoughtful
Charismatic	Effective	Inquisitive	Persuasive	Tolerant
Charitable	Efficient	Insatiable	Planner	Tough
Cheerful	Empathetic	Inspiring	Pleasant	Transparent
Clean	Energetic	Instigator	Practical	Trusting
Clear headed	Engaging	Intellectual	Precise	Trustworthy
Clever	Entertaining	Intelligent	Prepared	Truthful
Coach	Enthusiastic	Introspective	Preventative	Unique
Coherent	Exceptional	Intuitive	Problem solver	Upbeat
Collaborative	Expedient	Inventive	Professional	Warm
Collected	Expert	Investigative	Progressive	Warm hearted
Collector	Explorative	Just	Punctual	Whimsical
Commonsensical	Expressive	Kind	Questioning	Witty

How to answer the infamous, "What is your greatest strength and biggest weakness?"

Each of these strengths has a corresponding weakness, that can be turned into a not so damaging answer to your personality strength and weakness questions.

For instance, I am easy going it is my greatest strength because I stay relaxed and cool through intense situations. (insert your personal supporting example here) It could be a weakness because of the atmosphere it creates around me can seem chaotic. But, it also makes for an enjoyable and productive work atmosphere (insert second example depicting this two sided strength).

Another example could be- I am very industrious. It is my greatest strength. But, it can also be my greatest weakness. Sometimes, I can focus in on something so completely that I forget to take a break.

Questions for Identifying personality strengths and weakness 

Ask someone else what you are good at. Other people can often identify your strength and weakness much more quickly than you can. And often, if asked, they are happy to volunteer what they like about you.

If asking someone these things makes you uncomfortable, then, answer them for yourself but WRITE IT DOWN! You will need to come back to them over time to encourage yourself, mark your growth or set new goals.

Some good questions to ask them or yourself are

What makes me- me?

Each strength and weakness you have comes together to create your distinctive youness. Figuring it out can be very revealing. It helps you use to your advantage each strength and weakness in all parts of your life.

What are three positive things about me?

I'm sure there are more than three! When trying to describe something, narrowing the possibilities down to just a few most important points makes it more manageable and less overwhelming. So pick three and focus on those.

What personality strengths do I use in my hobbies or when I am having a good time?

Our hobbies are really what we have a passion for. Because it is our passion we find much success in these areas. They are a good place to glean information about what our personality strengths and weaknesses, what we do and why.

When I dream about my future what strength or weakness do I use?

 Are there many people around, when you dream? Maybe a personality strength is socializing or networking. Are you by yourself building your own place? A strength could be learning new skills or designing great feeling spaces. The possibilities for identifying strengths and weaknesses in your long term goals and dreams are endless.

What is your favorite animal?

Our favorite animal embodies a the strength we value, strive for, or identify with . Often times, the strength and weakness of our favorite animal can uncover truths about our personality strengths.

Other ways to identify personality strength and weakness 

www.astro.com

You can take this with a grain salt or read it like its infallible, either way it can be enlightening. They don’t send you anything when you sign up. You need to enter your birth year, birth place and exact time you were born. The exact time is important. So, make sure you have it. There are a lot of things to think about once your chart comes up and you start reading chapters (Meaning, there is a TON of information given. It took me two hours to get through it.) about yourself. Even if it is generalizations and speculation it certainly gets the mental introspective, “What am I good at and what are my personality strengths and weaknesses?” juices going.

Personality Tests

You can find personality tests all over the web. I haven't found them to be much more than fun and games... Well, a lot of free ones can be kind of cheesy. 

The most accurate personality tests I have found are Myers-Briggs type tests. The sites I've found give you a four letter personality type. Some, but only few, will give you the interpretation of those four letters. You may need to enter those four letters into a search engine to find a good explanation of them. You can also find famous persons who share that personality type and careers that are suited for your particular personality strengths

Another type of personality test is the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. You can find these for fee and for free. This personality test is used in many career centers, colleges and companies. These can be incredibly informative about personality strengths and weaknesses and how best to utilize them in your place of work and life.

 

 

You may find after indentifying your personality strengths and weaknesses and using them to defeat stresses, that not so many things stress you out. You will find that when you are faced with a stressor that you welcome it, beat it into pulp and have fun while you do it!

This is one of my personal favorite go-to tips for controlling stress. I started using it several years ago and it has now become ingrained in the way I live my life. It gives me confidence and allows me to shine in most situations.

You liked this page enough to get all the way down here! For more come browse through the home page. Maybe this wasn't the tip for you, but we have tons more, click to find another great way to combat stress.