Introduction to the VIA Survey of Character Strengths
Why is it important to learn more about your gifts?
It begins as early as writing college essays and continues on through interviews, heck, even in dating: the challenge of identifying and communicating our standout qualities.
It’s easy to start to describe things that we like about ourselves: e.g., I’m organized, or I’m a math whiz, etc. But while our ego clings to some of these descriptions, they don’t capture who we are at the core.
I’m talking about the parts of your personality that make you feel authentic and engaged. These traits can be found in brief (or not) moments when your heart lights up, corners of your mouth involuntarily turn up, or there’s a skip in your step. You get the picture.
The reality is that most people aren’t clear or comfortable talking about their strengths. Or worse, they underestimate the value of their core qualities as being strengths at all. This is unacceptable; valuing your strengths is just too important!
Why, you ask? Because there is a growing body of research which clearly states that when you have clarity and can apply your character strengths, you feel more confident, more energized, experience more success and healthier relationships, all of which adds up to a more fulfilling life --and isn’t that the end game we are all after?
So let me be clear: There is no downside to discovering your strengths. It is a foolproof place to start when it comes to improving the way you are experiencing your life and increasing opportunities that are available to you to flourish and thrive.
There is a simple tool to help you identify your strengths. It is called “The VIA Survey,” and it is a ten-minute, free assessment that you can find online. Created by a team of leading social scientists who scoured the world for ways to identify, measure and develop positive traits in people, the VIA Survey identifies six classes of virtues that are made up of 24 character strengths: Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Citizenship, Temperance, and Transcendence.
Wisdom: Creativity, Curiosity, Judgment, Love of Learning & Perspective
Courage: Bravery, Perseverance, Honesty & Zest
Humanity: Love, Kindness & Social Intelligence
Citizenship: Teamwork, Leadership & Fairness
Temperance: Forgiveness, Humility, Prudence & Self-Regulation
Transcendence: Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, Gratitude, Hope, Humor & Spirituality
You may be familiar with other strengths surveys. For example, StrengthFinder, developed by the Gallup Organization, focuses on skills in the workplace and has made a positive impact on how talent is viewed in the workplace. StrengthFinder contributed to the “strength-based movement,” which focuses on greatness achieved when natural talents are cultivated, vs traditional strategies aimed at shoring up weaknesses in the workplace.
In my coaching practice, I utilize the VIA survey because it easily moves between all aspects of your life, and it is not based on a corporate/business model. The VIA survey results are based on scientific research that has been found to have psychometric validity, reliability and consistency (peer reviewed), and it’s free. I also think it’s cool that each person who takes the test contributes to the scientific research of positive psychology.
Ready to learn about your character strengths? Visit VIA Institute to take the survey and wait no longer.
