FLEX YOUR CHARACTER

Don’t you love the feeling of finally deciding to make the change you have contemplated so long(ie: Join a gym, quit smoking, begin eating differently, remove toxic relationships, practice self care)?! Then all of a sudden life rolls out every obstacle to prevent your follow through and execution. You will then proceed to use the obstacles as excuses and take solace in “I can’t afford it”, “I can’t right now”, or “I don’t have time”. Your only recourse is to stay in the same rut you have allowed life to dig for you. Health Coach Tulsa utilizes the character strengths of clients as resources to promote success in the pursuit of optimal health.

FLEX YOUR CHARACTER MUSCLES AND HEAVE YOUR BUTT OUT OF THE RUT!!!

Each one of us have a unique combination of 24 identified character strengths that make us unique and equipped to navigate life.  Sometimes these character strengths navigate us successfully and sometimes we have “character building” moments. Below, Health Coach Tulsa has listed the character strengths with brief descriptions. The best part!… Health Coach Tulsa has a  free survey to find out your own strengths through  http://optimallyyou.pro.viasurvey.org

Just knowing your top 5 strengths can create much needed leverage when facing a challenge in life. Whether you are trying to lose weight, stop smoking, exercise more, reduce stress, create more meaningful relationships, or simply be happier; the strengths you identify for yourself will be the most valuable muscles to utilize and power through the difficult moments of change.

Any coach worth their salt will put in their strongest players for the big “W”.  We should do the same thing with the pieces of our personality. Click on the link above and take the survey so you are aware of your strongest players for your own personal victories! Be on the lookout for future articles that will focus on ways to flex each character strength so you can build your muscles, overcome obstacles, and become Optimally You! No matter how strong each character muscle becomes there can be challenges associated with flexing. I can’t imagine how often the Hulk has to replace his wardrobe from “flexing” his character strength.

Character Strengths

1. Love of Learning: Master new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge
2. Judgment: Think things through and examine them from all sides.
3. Honesty: Speak the truth. Present yourself in a genuine, sincere way. Take responsibility for your feelings and actions.
4. Social Intelligence: Be aware of motives and feelings of others and self. Know what to do to fit into different social situations.
5. Leadership: Encourage a group in which you are a member to get things done while maintaining good relations within the group.
6. Humility: Let your accomplishments speak for themselves.
7. Love: Value close relations with others.
8. Curiosity: Take interest in an ongoing experience for its own sake. Explore. Discover
9. Perseverance: Finish what you start in spite of obstacles.
10. Self-Regulation: Be disciplined. Control your emotions.
11. Prudence: Be careful about your choices. Don’t take undo risk.
12. Teamwork: Work well as a member of a group. Be loyal to the group.
13. Fairness: Treat all people the same according to notions of justice.
14. Humor: Like to laugh and tease. Bring smiles to other people. See the light side.
15. Spirituality: Have beliefs about the higher meaning of the universe. Know where you fit in the larger scheme.
16. Kindness: Do favors and good deeds for others. Help them. Take care of them.
17. Perspective: Be able to provide wise counsel to others.
18. Creativity: Think of novel ways to do things.
19. Zest: Approach life with excitement and energy. Don’t do things halfhearted.
20. Hope: Expect the best in the future and work to achieve it.
21. Gratitude: Be aware and thankful for the good things that happen. Express thanks.
22. Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence: Notice and appreciate beauty and excellence in various domains of life.
23. Forgiveness: Forgive those who have done wrong. Accept others’ shortcomings.
24. Bravery: Don’t shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain. Speak up for what is right even in the face of opposition.

Shifting Strengths

“Use your powers for good and not evil” is a foundational principle for Health Coach Tulsa to help clients flex and relax their specific character muscles when implementing a change in behavior. Judgment works better when flexed with a menu of food choices than in relationships causing stress and tension. Humor can elevate the human spirit and encourage a spirit of gratefulness or be used as a protection mechanism to disengage from the realities of health concerns. Individuals with higher uses of judgment tend to create higher standards for themselves and others which triggers more stress when the standard is not met. (I am not speaking from experience at all…I swear. Wink, wink.) The bottom line Health Coach Tulsa is working towards is balance. Clients are able to work through Health Coach Tulsa sessions and manage their strengths to promote their health goals and the results become sustainable. Below is an incredible checks and balances chart so you can be more mindful of how efficiently your character muscle is flexing.

*Chart Courtesy of “Character Strengths Interventions” by Ryan M. Niemiec

Stay curious my friends and Flex responsibly!