How many of you wake up every day and think about what your strengths are? Not a single hand went up when I asked this question during class yesterday. Full disclosure, my hand would have remained down as well. The assignment began with me asking the students what their strengths were, not just academically but in general. This proved to be a difficult task for some, and when the students asked me to disclose my strengths, I then began to empathize with the difficulty of the assignment.
Why is it so difficult to identify and discuss our strengths? Maybe it is because we are too busy worrying about everything that could go wrong in our day, the stresses we have, our comparisons to others, or maybe it just seems too vain to point out the great things about ourselves. Although the lesson began slowly, students began to think outside the box and feel good about the strengths they were writing down on paper. Then came the sharing, and this is where the lesson took an unexpected turn for the better.
I asked only for volunteers, knowing that some of the students would be hesitant to share their strengths. However, as students began to share, something amazing happened. Students who hadn’t planned on sharing began to raise their hand and then, even better, students began spontaneously adding strengths to their fellow classmates’ lists. They were pointing out attributes they saw in that person that the person was not able to see in themselves. What a heartwarming moment to see students recognizing great things about each other and begin to feel good and think about their strengths rather than weaknesses.
Every single one of us has something or some things we are skilled in. Although, sometimes it takes having a peer share that with us. Maybe it would be a good practice to intentionally begin our day by focusing on our strengths and what we are most looking forward to. By focusing on our strengths and the strengths of others, maybe that allows us to be more kind, compassionate, and empathetic towards everyone. It is certainly worth a try.
Why is it so difficult to identify and discuss our strengths? Maybe it is because we are too busy worrying about everything that could go wrong in our day, the stresses we have, our comparisons to others, or maybe it just seems too vain to point out the great things about ourselves. Although the lesson began slowly, students began to think outside the box and feel good about the strengths they were writing down on paper. Then came the sharing, and this is where the lesson took an unexpected turn for the better.
I asked only for volunteers, knowing that some of the students would be hesitant to share their strengths. However, as students began to share, something amazing happened. Students who hadn’t planned on sharing began to raise their hand and then, even better, students began spontaneously adding strengths to their fellow classmates’ lists. They were pointing out attributes they saw in that person that the person was not able to see in themselves. What a heartwarming moment to see students recognizing great things about each other and begin to feel good and think about their strengths rather than weaknesses.
Every single one of us has something or some things we are skilled in. Although, sometimes it takes having a peer share that with us. Maybe it would be a good practice to intentionally begin our day by focusing on our strengths and what we are most looking forward to. By focusing on our strengths and the strengths of others, maybe that allows us to be more kind, compassionate, and empathetic towards everyone. It is certainly worth a try.
Comments
Post a Comment