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You on a recent sailing trip with friends, we had four different navigational tools going. We had our garmin chart platter that's on the boat. We had two different apps on our phones that are for boaters, and then we had the real paper chart and our compass to use. And it might seem like that was overkill, but to be honest, we used them all. And the one I found most fascinating was learning how to really read the charts and plot the course based on the compass directions.
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My learner was so happy to work on this new skill that my friend taught me. We had used charts before on the lake, but it's a whole different experience and way of using them when you're on the ocean in open waters. But I also love referring back to my app on my phone as a reference guide to see where we really were at any given moment. And of course, the garmin was essential for quick glances to make sure the depth was good, what our speed was. Where are we going?
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Are we still on track? We truly did need them all, and it made me think of how essential knowing how to use your Clifton strengths for any journey in life is. And I've always said your strengths are like a compass rose, but this experience really emphasized that. And that's what I want to share with you in today's episode. Starlin put the intro here.
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So for those of you who are not familiar with it, well, it's also known as Clifton strengths finder. That was the original name until they named it after dawn Clifton and shortened it down to Clifton strengths. Or some students have used it as strengths quest. Very similar. But basically, it's a personal development or professional development and assessment tool that was created by Gallup and Don Clifton.
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And it helps identify your top strengths or talents, your talent, DNA, what you were born with. And it helps you understand how to leverage these strengths in various aspects of your life. And in a metaphorical sense, it can compare to a compass rose to help you navigate life. And here are eight ways that I feel like your Clifton strikes can compare to a compass rose. So are you ready to take this journey with me?
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Let's go. All right, number one, it provides direction. So just like a compass rose points you in the right direction. Just like those navigational tools we were using on our sailing trip, clifton strengths provides you with a clear sense of your inherent strengths and talent. It helps you understand what you're naturally good at, how you naturally think, feel, and behave.
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And knowing that can help guide you in your choices and decisions you make in your life. So your Clifton strengths help provide direction for you. Second way your strengths are like a compass rose is the self awareness. Clifton strengths foster self awareness by helping you identify your unique strengths. This awareness is similar to knowing your position on a map when using a compass rows, it allows you to make more informed decisions and set realistic goals based on your strengths.
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This is one of the things I love to help my clients do, is once they know what their strengths are, then they can figure out, like, oh, that goal doesn't match with my strengths. It sounded good and it works for somebody else, but that's not in alignment with how I naturally operate. So having that self awareness is vital to help you have a successful journey in life. Number three, empowerment. When you know your strengths, you're empowered to make choices that align with your abilities and passions.
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It's like having the confidence to follow a particular path indicated by the compass rose because you trust it will lead you in the right direction. Having when we were sailing, having all those tools at our fingertips, having the chart there to check on things, having the compass to know if we're headed in the right direction, having the app to see where we actually were, and having the garment gave us that confidence and that empowered us to continue on our journey. And when you know and understand your Clifton strengths, it's going to be so empowering for you as well. The fourth way they can compare is personal growth. Clifton strengths emphasizes the importance of developing, honing your strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses.
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This kind of like in know you focus on your current position and your desired destination, not on all the obstacles and detours along the way. When we were out sailing, there were a lot of obstacles, and some of them we knew ahead of time. By looking at the charts, we knew there were shoals, we knew there were lighthouses to watch out, to look for different buoys. But what we didn't know was there were a ton of crap pots all over, and we didn't know those until we were like right upon them. And if we were so worried about all the obstacles out there, we would never leave the marina because there's so many things to watch out for.
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But when you empower yourself and you give yourself tools like Clifton strengths, it can empower you to have that confidence so you can extend your personal growth even more. And you'll hone the skills to work on your strengths rather than focusing on all the weaknesses and all the things that could go wrong. Because in life, so many of us have been taught, well, just try a little harder, just work a little more on your weaknesses, and you'll get better. But here's the thing you can only improve so much on your weaknesses, but if you focus in on what you really are talented at, those strengths, those talents can become your superpowers. And just like when we're out there navigating, if we just focus on where we are today and our desired destination, we will get there.
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The fifth way your strengths can be kind of like a compass rose is it helps with better decision making. A compass rose helps you make decisions about which direction to take. Similarly, Clifton strengths assists you in making career, education, and life decisions that align with your strengths. It guides you toward choices that are more likely to lead to success and fulfillment. So when you know your strengths, you're going to make better decisions that align with how you naturally think, feel, and behave.
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And when you make those better decisions, that's when you're more successful and life feels way more fun. Just like when we make better decisions based on the compass rose, to get where we wanted to go, the journey is way more fun. Number six interpersonal relationships. So just like a compass rose can help you navigate your way to others, clifton strengths can improve your relationships by helping you understand and appreciate the strengths of those around you. It encourages collaboration and teamwork by recognizing the diversity of strengths in others.
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This is one of the things I love to talk about in workshops with people, and even it's been interesting. My husband and I have reviewed our strengths recently on the sailing excursion that we're on, on just how we can use our strengths better as sailing partners and what I'm better at and what he's better at. And in any relationship, when you understand why somebody does the things they do and how to give them space to be their best and use their strengths, you are empowering them, and your relationship is going to improve, and the outcome is going to be better. And at the same time, when they encourage you to use your strengths, you're happier and better and everybody's appreciated and everybody understands each other more. When you lean into the Clifton strength.
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So it is one of the best relationship building tools out there. No matter what type of situation you're in, whether you're trying to navigate a sailing course, you're working together, or maybe you're just trying to raise two kids together or raise a family together. So your Clifton strengths can help with interpersonal relationships. Number seven, your Clifton strengths is like a compass rose when it comes to goal setting. Clifton strengths assess and setting goals that are not only achievable, but also play to your strengths.
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This is similar to choosing a destination on a map, using a compass rose, ensuring you're headed in the right direction. We needed all of those navigational tools as we set a goal for where we wanted to go and how we wanted to get there. We could have taken many different courses, but using the tools we had, we took the best course for us, the safest course for us. Same thing. When you know what your Clifton strengths are, you know how to set strengths based goals.
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This is one of the things I teach my discovering your calling academy we talk about setting strengths based goals so that they align. Not only does the goal itself align with your natural talents and strengths but how you achieve the goal aligns with your natural talents and strengths. Which means you have a much higher chance of achieving that goal and feeling really great about it then the last way that I have here number eight. How Clifton strengths is like a compass rose for your life is continuous improvement. And similar to using a compass rose for ongoing navigation, clifton strengths is that tool for lifelong development.
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As you grow and evolve, you can continually apply your strengths to new situations and adapt to changing circumstances. Just like we had to keep referring back to the different tools we had at our fingertips. You will want to refer back to your Clifton strengths and your Clifton strengths 34 report over and over and over again. I made this mistake. And I see this happen with so many people.
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They take the Clifton strengths assessment, they read their report and they think, ah, yeah, sounds about right, sounds like me. And then they tuck it away, never to be seen again. Or maybe they attend a workshop at work or another experience. Maybe they even get a coaching session, but then they tuck it away. And that's not the way to use this tool.
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It is meant to be on your desk where you can see it all the time. It's meant to be referred back to over and over and over again. And the more you realize that, and the more you use your talents and strengths, the better you can get at really honing them so they can be that compass rose to help you achieve anything you want in you. Know, wrapping this all up is that Clifton strengths can be seen as that metaphorical compass rose for navigating your life, because it does provide direction, self awareness, empowerment. And it really is that framework for making decisions that lead to personal growth and success.
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And it helps individuals like you leverage your innate strengths to chart their course, chart your course for both personal and professional endeavors. And if you're ready to learn how to navigate your strengths so that they can help you navigate your life, then I want to invite you to schedule a 90 minutes navigating your strength session. Now, this is great for you if you're new to Clifton strengths and you've never had anybody really decipher what it all means and how to read your report. Maybe you took the assessment, but you never really knew. You're one of those people that tucked it away and never looked at it again because you didn't understand it.
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Let's grab a call and talk about it. Or maybe you did Clifton strengths and you used it, but it's been a while since you've refreshed your thinking on it and you have new goals, new challenges, new relationships. Let's hop on a call and see how your strengths can help you in this new spot in life. Or maybe you're brand new and you've never taken the assessment. This is for you as well.
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Let's start in a great place so you really understand what it's all about. So what happens in this 90 minutes call or zoom session is we really pare down what do your strengths mean, how to read your reports and then how to use them no matter what your goal is in life. So no matter where you're headed, what direction you're going, they can become the compass rose you rely on to get there and to enjoy the journey along the way, which is the whole point of life, right? So if that sounds good to you, then head over to my website, Sheri Miter Co. So sherimiter one r one I, and Sherry Sheri Miter Co.com services and look for the navigating your strength session.
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And if you use the code dycfan, so D-Y-C-F-A-N. So discovering your calling fan, abbreviated, you'll save $40 on that session, so it makes it very affordable for anybody to take that session. So no matter what your goal is, where you're headed in life, let's jump on that call together. Now, if you listened to last week's episode, you know that I'm taking a sailing sabbatical, so these spots are very limited. It is one of the few things I am still going to be working on during the next six months, because I love talking strengths with people.
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So I couldn't imagine a life not having strengths conversations, but they are limited. So grab your call today and let's see how your Clifton strengths can help you navigate to the best, most fun places in your life. I'll be happy to have that conversation with.