How are you thinking? S-Factor Thinking 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a good time of year to take stock of your mindset and thinking habits.  Every time of year is the right time for this!  Are you stuck with habits that make life happier or ones that drag you down?

Here are two S-Factor questions to start with:

• What has gone well so far this year and why?
• What can I congratulate myself on?

What is the S-Factor?

The S stands for Strengths and Successes. So you might ask:

• What has gone well recently?
• What are my strengths?

Why?

A quick focus on the S-Factor helps create a balanced look at life because otherwise we tend to focus on problems, mistakes and tasks.  Thinking of something that went well changes our mindset, creates a burst of confidence and energy and so we feel more creative.

Try it.  Just ask yourself: what has gone well recently?

Recognising our strengths

If you are not used to thinking of your strengths, you probably need to practise.

It’s probably because you only focus on what needs improving, needs doing or what you did wrong.  But to get a realistic picture it is important to see the good as well as the bad.

If you’ve been trained to be modest, or just cannot recognise any personal strengths, use these questions:

• What would my colleagues consider are my strengths?
• What was I good at in school?
• What would my family say?

Strengths outside of work count too

I once had a client who was an ace at golf.  Once we’d recognised that together, she acknowledged how powerful and confident she felt on the golf course.  She found she could use the thought of her wonderful golf handicap as a tool to raise her confidence in difficult work situations.  As a result she was more confident in presentations, more engaged and productive at work.