Signature Strengths Exercise

The purpose of this exercise is to encourage you to own your signature strengths by finding new and more frequent uses for them. A signature strength has the following hallmarks:

A sense of ownership and authenticity (“This is the real me”)A feeling of excitement while displaying it, particularly at firstA rapid learning curve as the strength is first practicedA sense of yearning to find new ways to use itA feeling of inevitability in using the strength (“Try to stop me”)Invigoration rather than exhaustion while using the strengthThe creation and pursuit of personal projects that revolve around itJoy, zest, enthusiasm, even ecstasy while using it

Now please take the strengths survey. If you do not have access to the web, you can go to the Appendix and take a brief version of this test. On the website, you will get your results immediately and can print them out if you like. This questionnaire was developed by Chris Peterson, a professor at the University of Michigan, and has been taken by more than a million people from two hundred nations. You will have the benefit of being able to compare yourself to other

people like you. M. Seligman