Are you tired of your self-criticism, or of trying to live up to other people’s standards?
Has your perfectionism left you deflated and demotivated?
Do you not even know where to start in finding new joy in your duties, your job, or even your hobbies?
No worries! Read on and I’ll tell you more about the perfect antidote: the Strengths-Based approach.
Creative, intelligent people can get quite the amount of pushback from people they interact with. “Why are you doing it like THAT?” , “Just follow protocol” , “We’ve always done things this way” , “You need to fall in line”, “Why are you overcomplicating stuff?”. And of you happen to possess a differently wired brain in any way (for instance having ADHD, autism, dyslexia, heightened sensitivities or exceptional intellect, whether this has been diagnosed or not) this push back is often a lot stronger and we can sometimes feel strange and constantly left – or even pushed- out.
If you get a lot of negative messages, or if there is a lot of focus on negative feedback or incrementally improving weak spots in your skill set, over time this can ZAP your motivation. If you want to regain it, here is how:
Strengths Awareness is Key
On top of that, people rarely have a good awareness of their own Strengths. This is not surprising. Since evolution programmed our brain to pay 4-6 times more attention to negative feedback from our environment, for the purposes of sheer survival. We tend to take for granted the things that we excel at, the things that give us joy and where we exhibit some kind of natural aptitude.
The problem with this lack of attention to and awareness of Strengths and the abundance of attention to deficits is what this does to our motivation and Growth mindset. Strengths are where our joy and our motivation to push through are activated. Strengths energize us. They light up our brains and activate our capacity for creative, problem-solving, and flexible thinking, whereas focusing on deficits can make us defensive and inflexible.
Strenghts-Based Coaching helped me find my feet again when I was feeling very LOST, and stuck on a career crossroads in my early thirties. Even before I learned about my neurodivergence, this method helped me get unstuck, unmask to some degree, and pushed me to dare to be different and step into my own strange powers.
This is why I LOVE to pay it forward and help other people discover their Strengths and put them into operation in new and surprising ways, or just level up how they have been playing with them already.
Want to know more about me as your coach? Check out the About me page
Some of the benefits of doing Strengths-Based work
Strengths are connected to the activities and focus areas that come naturally to us. Working with Strengths energizes us. It connects us deeply and daily to what we can be proud of in ourselves and the things we are willing to work on, invest in, learn from and suffer for. And that’s important, because neurodivergent people often have a very sensitive shame trigger that gets activated by negative feedback and deficit-oriented approaches.
Of course, Strengths-Based work is beneficial for EVERYONE, but it has certain added benefits for neurodivergent individuals.
WHY? Because the feeling you get when you are operating from your Strengths is a natural antidote to the abundance of negative feedback neurodivergent people get for not “fitting into the norm”.
Strengths-based activities will pull you into focus, will help you slip into flow while you work, and they will generate dopamine because these are stimulating and motivating activities for you.
Strengths-based planning is the first powerful step in spending your time where you can have the most impact.
Strengths-based energy and time management is a foundational practice for people whose daily energy supplies are regularly drained by Executive Functioning Challenges. We cannot afford to play fast and loose with our time and energy…
Sure, in any job or relationship, there will be leftover chores that are not covered by anybody’s Strengths. But you can still use Strengths to divide those up and make them more attainable or manageable.
There are several ongoing and upcoming opportunities to do Strengths Based work, individually or in a group. Take a look to see what options would be best suited for YOU.
1-on-1 intensive: Engage in a Strengths-Based individual coaching program.
The average Strengths-Based coaching program consists of
11 sessions
- 1 x 75-minute strategy and planning session
- 1x 75 minute Strengths Discovery session
- 5 x 50 m
- minute Strengths coaching sessions
- 1 x 90 min Strengths constellation session
- 3 25-minute coaching sessions
You will also receive a Strength Finder test and book.
This program usually helps people create a real pivot and reorient themselves around their Strengths in their careers or in their daily lives. Often that is enough
Of course there is also the option to create a program tailor-made to your needs, or to continue coaching on a few specific “blockers” to progress after this initial start.
Book a free consultation call for this individual coaching program (click on this link).
Self-Starter: Get the Strengths-Based toolkit and book one on more individual sessions
Buy the Strengths-Based toolkit that we helped create through the Neurodiversity Education Academy (this toolkit is suitable for EVERYONE) and get to work!
If you need additional support from a coach on a clearly defined Strengths-Based coaching topic you can book and pay for coaching directly here (click the links to book)
Choose a 50 minute coaching session to work on a specific question or topic
Book an 80-minute Strengths-Based constellation call to position a deep development wish in your current context and explore how your Strengths can be better deployed in that situation. Start the process by booking a 15 min exploratory call.
Discovering Strengths in Community: join a group training & coaching program on Strengths-Based self-development
We usually have at least one group offering every year. For 2023 these are the intentions:
Fall Program – Slow cooker
- Live sessions 2x a month
- Resources, exercises and basic concepts are covered in an Online training program.
- Access to online support from fellow group members and your coach in a closed medium & group like Slack.
- Added focus on supporting Neurodiversity
Spring Program – Pressure cooker:
- Live sessions 4x a month
- Resources, exercises and basic concepts are covered in an Online training program.
- Access to online support from fellow group members and your coach in a closed medium & group like Slack.
- Open to all.
With each program add-on individual coaching options are available at discounted rates…
Start Exploring what is strong with you NOW!
I invite you to join me in Exploring your Strengths.
Not sure yet what option is best for you? Have more questions? Book a 15-minute coffee call to discuss options https://calendarhero.to/Coffee15