Character Strengths

CHARACTER STRENGTHS?

Most people find it difficult to identify their own strengths but can easily tell you what they’re not so good at!  Using a strengths assessment can help you identify what contributes to you being at your best.  There are a number of different strengths assessments on the market these days, but we find the assessment on character strengths most beneficial. 

 So what are character strengths?

Character Strengths are the positive parts of your personality that impact how you think, feel and behave...

Character strengths help you create an awareness of what’s best about you (and others) and encourage you to embrace them and use them regularly.  With this awareness, you will be better positioned to build positive relationships, discover deeper happiness, and achieve your life goals  

Given ZipCode Wellness focuses on your entire person (and not just what you eat and how you exercise), we know that knowing your character strengths will embolden you to achieve your goals with us.  Not only will it help with goal achievement but research has shown that knowing and practicing your strengths regularly can lead to more energy and a higher level of overall wellbeing. 

 If you haven’t already, we invite you to take the VIA (vee-uh) survey to discover your strengths.  More than 15 million people have taken the scientifically validated test.  Watch THIS VIDEO on the importance of understanding and applying your strengths to improve yourself (and those around you)! 

Here is an example of how character strengths will help you during your ZipCode Wellness journey?

Client A has the following top five character strengths: hope, humor, honesty, judgement and kindness.  The table below shows some of the coaching questions used to explore each strength as it relates to your ZipCode Wellness journey.

Character Strength Questions To Explore...

Hope

Hope is expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it.

How will hope play a positive role in achieving the goals set out during your time with ZipCode Wellness?

What are the conditions that lead you to be hopeful?  How can we recreate them during your training with us?

What are the conditions that get in the way of feeling hopeful?  What will we do to mitigate them?

How will you use hope if you become unstuck during your plan?

Humor

Humour is perceiving what is comical or amusing in situations, and offering a lighter side.

What experiences or situations prompt a humorous response from you?  How will we incorporate this during your time with us?

How can we design your training plan to incorporate humor and playfulness?

Honesty

Honesty is speaking the truth, but more broadly, it is presenting oneself in a genuine and sincere way, being without pretence  taking responsibility for one’s feelings and actions.

How are commitments and agreements made and honored in personal as well as professional relationships? 

How will we make our commitments to each other at ZipCode Wellness to ensure your success?

How might we neutralize guilt if you don’t stick to your plan? 

How might we avoid you making excuses, blaming, minimising  or rationalising the truth away?

How will you be honest with yourself about achieving your plan, and reacting to the ups and downs along with it?

Judgement

Judgment involves looking at things from all angles. It is critical thinking: weighing all evidence fairly, thinking things through, and examining the evidence from all sides rather than jumping to conclusions

How do emotions get in the way of the ability to be objective, especially when those emotions are unhealthy?

How can we leverage the strength if you don’t stick to the plan at times?  

How will this individual ensure they don’t overthink or over-analyze their results? 

How can we leverage the fact that you’ve made the decision to make an impact on your overall wellness? 

We really could go on forever about character strengths.  They are fundamental building blocks to your success with us.  We invite you to visit https://www.viacharacter.org/resources for more information directly from the VIA Institute on Character.