Let’s talk about strengths coaching today. Because that’s what I am psyched about.
I want to share my story of how I stumbled upon Clifton’s strengths assessment.
It had been four years since my decision to pivot from my art career which was going well enough but I wanted to get some training in order to serve my community better.
I had been volunteering as a counselor for seven years. And throughout my tenure (which still continues) I felt the need to be trained. Hell, I was the person who took a child psychology diploma before having a child.
So needless to say I am a huge believer in learning and then paying it forward.
I tried to become a certified teacher but I felt that teaching a state-mandated curriculum would be a waste of my talents and my creativity. Because guess what there is no curriculum for self-development.
I gravitated towards books and podcasts and people who can help a human become self-reliant and strong and supercharged confident and the most fully expressed version of themselves.
How I was going to go about achieving my lofty goal of…..
“Eradicating emotional pain”
I had no clue.
I tried everything I spent tons of money on courses and classes and live trainings and webinars. That was a fun time for me because I love to learn and while I learned a lot, I was not quite sure I had found my one awesome tool/ technique that fully resonated with me and what I was trying to achieve.
Until I came across this book called, Now Discover your strengths. I read it cover to cover and found out about this code it kept referring to. I went to my best friend “the google” and bingo Gallup was discovered.
I quickly got my credit card out, by now money was no object. I had become an explorer with an insatiable appetite.
I took the test and got my results and I felt like a bullet had taken my heart clean out of my chest.
I felt creeped out. Someone had read my mind heart and soul to a tee.
I reread it to confirm that it wasn’t some kind of a joke or a hack.
I honestly had never felt this understood before. Even by myself.
I know I sound like a teenager who simply wants to be understood!
But OMG!!!!
I knew that I had all the power to do with this information what I pleased.
I could shelve it, or I could shout it from the rooftops and share it with people who were interested in moving out of not knowing towards knowing.
I knew I had found the tool the technique that was the most empowering of all. This strengths testing and coaching was going to be my way of changing lives and helping people.
I want to leave you all with this one quote;
You can’t allow fear to run your life. To live your best life, to take advantage of the precious few years you have on earth. You must embrace bold steps.
And you can be bold only when you are planted firmly in your strengths not caught up in the process of fixing your weaknesses.
You know where to find me when you are ready to make that change.
Sending you love and light
Hawra
