Everyone is different and that means we are all special and unique!
If you are one of those kids or even adult that focus more on what you do wrong than right; the one that is often comparing to others and dwelling in those traits that you don’t like about yourself, than it means you need to learn to be comfortable with who you are and that is called self- acceptance.
One happy fact is that every single one of us has strengths and weaknesses and everyone makes mistakes! That is what in reality makes us human and when we view mistakes as “our friends” we start treating ourselves as our own good friends would and that is the beginning of self- acceptance. Now that we know more about self - acceptance let us end the following sentences:
“I felt proud of myself when I ...”
“I am good at many things including...”
“I am special because....”
When we are comfortable with whom we are, we are able to list some of our positive qualities. These might be things that we are naturally good at or personal qualities that make a difference to others and to the world around us.
Our strengths influence what we enjoy doing and what we find easier to learn.
Spotting, using and developing our own strengths is a helpful happiness skill.
Did you know that in a scientific experiment people were asked to identify their top strengths and find new ways to use one of them each day? At the end of the week they all experienced small boost in happiness that grew over the next six months, in the end they were happier people because they become better at understanding their strengths and finding different opportunities to use them.
Now it’s your turn to put your strengths in a spotlight! There are lots of them, such as being; kind, creative, determined, reliable, forgiving, funny, considerate, hardworking, curious, helpful, respectful, playful and so many more.
So think about what do you love and get energy from doing?
What do you find easy to learn and do?
Answering to these questions will help you to discover and come up with your own list of strengths. Have fun finding your unique superpowers and being your own and others hero!
Karima Juma
The Aga Khan Education Board invites you to share questions, comments, ideas or proposals on topics to be addressed through the address [email protected]
