A Tip from Lynne:
The developing new area of psychology that has been dubbed "Positive Psychology" is a fascinating, research-based field.
To identify your chief character strengths, go to www.authentichappiness.com and take the free 200+ question survey called the VIA (Values In Action). This survey, part of a major research project at the University of Michigan, lays out 24 strengths.
You'll get an instant, detailed report on your top 5 signature strengths and the rest in rank order.
It pays to answer the survey as honestly as you can. Remember, it is a subjective measure--your internal sense of yourself--and all 24 are strengths.
I suppose it's only human nature to look at the bottom 5 and think of them as deficits. But it's important first to focus on your top 5 signature strengths and consider how you might use them in ways you haven't thought of before.
Sometimes we take our strengths for granted because they are so "easy" for us, even if they aren't for other people. But what about exploring their power to help us find flow when we write?
They are our most natural way to work, so instead of dismissing them, we need to rely on them more to be at our best.
They may even help us find ways to raise some of those bottom 5 strengths, especially if doing so will improve our ability to succeed as writers.
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