“The good life is using your signature strengths every day to produce authentic happiness,”
says Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology.

Signature strengths? They are the inner resources that energize us the most, the ones that flow most readily. Do you know yours? 

Try this activity: Slowly name each of The Twelve Gifts. Speak each word mindfully, with appreciation:

Strength. Beauty. Courage. Compassion. Hope. Joy. Talent. Imagination. Reverence. Wisdom. Love. Faith.

You may have felt a subtle stirring when you spoke one or two of the words. Did you sense anything mild? Or even strong? Was one gift like a puppy among litter mates jumping up and down, climbing on your lap as if to say, “Pick me! Pick me!”

Maybe you already know that compassion is your “go to” gift, or that faith is the gift that sticks with you through thick and thin. I have a few friends who claim joy as their most precious gift.

There are tests to help us identify our signature strengths.*

Today’s activity is simply meant for us to appreciate our gifts, to recognize one or two that seem most natural for us, and to consider how “The Good Life” is related to our using our gifts to be our best selves every day.

At bedtime, reflect on today’s quote and suggestions. Did you have any insights? Give thanks for your gifts, for your growth, your gains, and for all the goodness in your life.

With the strength of an opened heart,
Charlene

PS - For a test that helps identify signature strengths, click here.

THE FIRST GIFT IS STRENGTH. May you remember to call upon it whenever you need it. – from The Twelve Gifts of Birth