Applying the Gift Lens to Your Life
Two women are present in this famous optical illusion that first appeared on an 1888 German postcard and adapted in 1915 by British cartoonist William Ely Hill, who published it in a humor magazine with the title "My Wife and My Mother-in-Law."
When I first saw this image, I saw an old woman. I stared at the picture, unable to shift my perspective to see the young women, but then in an instant an entirely different perspective was revealed and I saw her, the young women looking off into the distance.
I would like to suggest that you apply the magic of ambiguous images to how you relate to your strengths and weaknesses. Keep reading and I will tell you how to shift your focus to see the strengths in yourself and others, and thereby experience the magic of seeing the world through a strength-based perspective.
Just like not being able to recognize one of the images within this brain teaser, we are often blind to our strengths. The strengths we possess and the value we add should be obvious, but often, it’s not. I certainly didn’t recognize my strengths for a big chunk of my career. I considered them soft skills at best.
Turns out my natural tendency to support and encourage others to take action in pursuing goals and objectives, isn’t just a nice thing I do to be helpful, it is one of my signature strengths, called Leadership.
My client’s love of podcasts, cooking shows, non-fiction books, and sharing her knowledge with others’, isn’t a vast collection of random knowledge, it is one of her signature strengths, called Love of Learning. What she had been critical of, thinking that learning for learning's sake wasn’t productive, was revealed as a gift that has important motivational consequences because learning brings her joy and helps her persist through challenges and setbacks.
Your strengths are your superpowers. Your strengths magnify you. They bring out the best in you. Seeing them in yourself, in your teams, your friends and family simply requires the gift of a new perspective.
Give yourself this gift. When you do, you will learn to see what’s best, what’s possible and understand how you feel (I have a feeling it will be happier) when you have clarity on your strengths, and learn how to spot them in others.
Ready for a shift in your perspective that has a positive influence on every aspect of your life?
Here are a few easy steps to get you started:
Discover your gifts: Take the VIA Survey, a ten minute, free assessment to learn your character strengths. This assessment was created by a team of leading social scientists who scoured the world for ways to identify, measure and develop the positive traits in people.
Share your gifts: Consider taking the survey with friends or family so you can share in the experience and start applying the “gift filter” to conversations and decisions.
Consider your gifts: Take a few minutes to write down what each of your character strengths means to you.
Notice and savor your gifts: Take time each day to write about moments that you felt successful or engaged in your activities (at work or home ), and really enjoyed yourself. Look for common themes across the experiences. Tip: One of my clients just quickly jots her notes down on her phone—it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Enjoy the happy: Studies consistently show that the regular use of signature strengths leads people to lower depression levels and higher happiness levels (Gander et al. 2013; Seligman et al. 2005).
Need some outside perspective to shift yours?
Have you worked your way through the steps and are still struggling to see one of the two women in the picture or how your gifts apply to your everyday? Don’t worry—that’s why I’m here. To solve the image riddle, send me a note (dra@drnicoleandreatta.com) and I will walk you through how to see both ladies. For clarity on your gifts, sometimes we need “coaching” to help us learn how to shift our perspective. If you're interested in working together, I would love to support you in learning more about your gifts.
