I find it truly funny how, when I first saw my profile, my attention was fixed on my development areas and what to do about them. I guess it has to do with thinking I need to get better, change, or fix the things that don't work as well.

I didn't really read through my strengths and understand them thoroughly until the next day. WOW, do I have some great potential for greater success and enjoyment. How about YOU?

That morning I did an exercise which had HUGE payoff - and gave me a real sense of clarity. It really energized me and I feel it will do the same for you. Try this:

I started with my Development Areas - after all, we can't seem to take our eyes off our perceived weaknesses, now, can we? I had EIGHT of them - I'm proud of that (lot's of stuff to fix - er, excuse me, develop :-).

Here's what I did:

1. In the development comments section, I highlighted each of my development areas with a pink highliter.

2. I underlined the key descriptive and action words with a BLUE flair.

3. In the margin, in black pen I wrote a brief but specific strategy, statement, or action step to take. I took into account the recommendations made by the profile, and decided what I could do about it (including, ignore it for now, if I felt it was not a big deal).

Outcomes:

1. I'm done focusing on my development areas for now. Hooray.

2. I have eight (or more) strategies, approaches and/or action steps I can take to develop these areas (including doing it myself, finding others, joint venturing, hiring, delegating or discarding, etc).

...THEN, I took a lot of time with my STRENGTHS - all 17 of them.

Some were very strong, some less so, but every single one of them had within it the seeds of great accomplishment, huge success, complete fulfillment and TOTAL JOY.

After all, what could be better than living a life you VALUE?

Don't we know people who LEVERAGE A SINGLE STRENGTH to great achievement, success, fulfillment and contribution? And I have 17 of them. What a great foundation!!!

How many strengths do you have to build on?

1. I underlined EVERY SINGLE WORD of EVERY SINGLE STRENGTH in RED flair. I read each sentence over and over again, until I began to actually see myself doing that strength with great results, imagining how and where I can use it.

I asked myself, "How can/will I use this strength to better my life and the lives of others?"

2. In the margin next to each STRENGTH, I wrote a STRONG, COMMITTED and SPECIFIC WAY I can use that STRENGTH in my work and my life. I took into account the recommendations made by the profile.

Outcomes:

1. I immersed myself in the words and the language of the strengths. I am imprinting my strengths into my consciousness (if I repeat enough enough times, they will seep into my sub-conscience).

2. I visioned more than a dozen scenarios in which those strengths would bring the most value to myself and others.

3. I have 17 areas of excellence I can choose from to bring my gifts and strengths to the world. I can do these myself, partner, enroll, delegate or hire others to help, or simply put it aside for now and bring it to bear when life calls for it.

4. I crafted my own personal mosaic, a life plan of how my life can look and feel if I spent more time dwelling on, looking at, using and developing my strengths (in essence, what I value). This gave me a big confidence boost, and a surge of energy.

If we spend too much time trying to fix ourselves, we overlook so much of the real value we have - value we can bring to the world, to others we touch and care about, and to ourselves.

Commit that this is where your attention will be from today on.

This exercise got me to see the development areas in a highly positive and instructive way, and bask in the light of my strengths. You might have had fewer or more development areas than I did.

How many we have doesn't really matter.

Your economic, financial and material value will likely take a turn for the better as a result of paying attention to and offering your strengths to the marketplace.

View development areas, not as deficits, or weaknesses - simply as areas of life where your attention and value IS NOT - right now!

Rather than diminish yourself for having these, or become obsessed with "correcting" your flaws, see your development areas as beacons of light, pointing to and shining on the rocks, obstacles and roadblocks, potential and real, that might be ahead.

You may decide that these are areas of your life where you would prefer to have someone else support you, do it for you or do it with you. Whatever you decide to DO, ACCEPT it all as part of who you are, and simply let yourself be.

Whether you choose to do it, delegate it, delay it or discard it, use your development areas as constructive building blocks to create a better life for yourself.

Most of us were weaned on and taught how to be dependent (parents, job, spouse, gov't, higher authority, etc), to do what others told us to do, and believe what others told us was right.

Dependent people usually work diligently to become more in-dependent, as they learn that their real security in life in inside them, not in the outside forces. We all want financial independence and time freedom to live as we wish, moment to moment, every minute of every precious day. That's true independence, personal and financial.

You simply cannot do it, have it or BE it by yourself - not today, not ever again. Our world has become one giant interconnected and interdependent ecosystem. To maintain our equilibrium in a world that snaps our necks forward at breakneck speed, we need the buoying forces of other people to hold us and support us.

The 21st century requires us to become more and more inter-dependent in order to live simply - and, to simply live. If you think you can make it on your own, try disposing of one week's garbage, or preparing one week's meals completely from scratch.

Use your value profile results to help you define and create your inter-dependent web of resources and network of people - to help you reach YOUR personal vision of freedom and independence, and to live with a higher level of health, happiness and satisfaction.

When we operate from the shoulds, oughts, have-tos, supposed-tos or got-tos - most of which have come from other people - we tend to move away from our own personal, intrinsic values.

I like to look at life as a cruise. A cruise generates energy and excitement in the journey and adventure in the voyage itself, AND it builds a sense of anticipation to reach the next port of call.

Write the journal of your journey.

Use your Value Profile as a guide, a map. If you take the time complete this simple exercise, it will reward you in every way. Please let me know how it goes.

All my best,

Mitch Axelrod, CEO - Chief Encouragement Officer
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P.S. Please share your feelings, excitement, results, anything or any way in which the profile has helped you.
Email mailto:win@thenewgame.com or feel free to call me at 1-973-736-1304.