Looking to 2025 and utilizing your strengths - what are your top three strengths?

[CareyJo]

I have never liked New Year's resolutions.  I know that I'm not going to stick to them and I've always felt like it's just a competition.  Instead, I have focused a number of years, on adding one new positive habit to my daily life that makes me a better human, even if only in my world.  For example, one year I switched to using my own shopping bags at every store, not just the grocery store and I had to learn to make it a habit.  (It takes 21 days of doing the same thing everyday, the same way, to make it a habit.)  Another year, I made a habit of walking my cart back to the rack.  One other year, I made a habit of focusing on my interactions with strangers.  Saying hello, thank you and giving a smile, whether it's to the guy who held the door for me or the cashier or just a person walking passed me.  These things are now all daily habits.

The coming of the new year has me thinking - What are our strengths?  We, as humans, tend to focus so much on our shortcomings and weaknesses, even if only in our minds.  What if instead of focusing on our weaknesses, we focus on three of our strengths and learn to put them into better practice in the new year?  And if we add to that, that we will improve our weakness so we won't feel quite so trapped by it anymore?

Don't get me wrong, we all have weaknesses.  If we only had strengths, it would be harder to work as a team because I can't make up for where you lack and you can't make up for where I lack.

So, I'd like to challenge you - grab a notepad and spend about 15 minutes thinking about what you're good at.  Write down everything that comes to mind, no matter how big or small or personal or business.  (You will be the only one who sees this unless you choose to share it with others.)  Then go back and review the list and pick the top three that you think really define you.  Then answer these questions:

1.  What are the three things you picked?

2.  What do they have in common?

3.  What makes you good at them?

4.  How do they relate to your business?

Now, write down ONE AND ONLY ONE weakness and answer these questions:

1.  Is it business or personal?

2.  Why was it the first thing that came to mind?

3.  Why do you feel that this is the one thing that you struggle with?

4.  How is this issue impacting your business?

Again, you can choose to share here in a reply what your answers are, but don't feel obligated.  However, please share your process and answer these questions in a reply:

1.  How did working through these questions make you feel about your abilities?

2.  Did you rediscover something about yourself that you forgot you were good at?

3.  Did you find that you really weren't thinking of them in terms that you should be?

In this challenge - I'd like to see everyone gain confidence in knowing what our strengths, skills and abilities are and not be afraid to use them.  Many people often feel inferior and lack the confidence to stand up and say "I can do this".  I'd also like to see everyone feel at least a little less anxiety over our weaknesses.  Is the weakness you listed something you can overcome?  Can you gain insight into making an improvement in that area from someone in the community who's had a similar experience or who has mastered that particular issue?  How, as a community, can we help you to improve?  And lastly and most importantly, how can you use your strengths, skills and abilities to help build others up in the community?  Can you give gentle, firming advice to someone who needs help to learn a skill to improve their business?  Can you mentor a new business owner who doesn't know the first thing about accounting?  Can you guide a business owner to using Square in a better fashion for their business?  What do you have to offer our community?

Tell us!  Do you need advice?  Ask!

This is where it all begins!

Thank you for participating and making Square Community a better place!

Tagging a few people I know to help us get things going - @mksavage @MudFire_Dex @TheRealChipA @DinaLRosenberg @JUYBoutique20 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

[MudFire_Dex]

Will work on this and get back to your thread 🙂

[CareyJo]

Thanks!

[TheRealChipA]

My top three strengths:

1. I’m very detail-oriented and organized.
2. I’m a hard worker
3. I’m always on the lookout for new things to learn.

I guess what they have in common is that they all are about drive and passion, about my desire to succeed, or at least to learn from my failures.  I’m good at all of them because I want to be good at them.  I’m motivated to be good at them. While they are usually strengths, the first two also come with the potential to have the exact downside that I have always struggled with — the fact that I can get lost in the minutia, that I can get overwhelmed by details and by so losing myself in my work that I forget that I have/need a life.  This has always been a struggle for me, but I get better with each passing decade of life on this earth!

My biggest weakness?  That’s different now that I’m nearing retirement than it would have been even 10 years ago.  But, the current one is that the older I get the less I suffer fools gladly.  I’m in hospitality, and that can be a problem, sometimes.  I don’t laugh off stupid questions, questions with obvious answers (just read the menu!), and I detest small talk.  It seems that I don’t hide those frustrations as good as I used to do, either — a fact that can definitely impact any hospitality business.  Thankfully, I have employees who are so much better at this than I am.  Scheduling them for the busy times allows me to cut back on my interactions with the general public as much as I need and want.  There’s a well-worn saying that if you want to learn to hate people, just work in customer service — funny, but sadly true, especially as one ages.  Obviously, the best solution is to recognize when this is happening, when one is becoming jaded and misanthropic, and to bring in the backup team.

Interestingly, I find that I have much more patience here in the Community.  I am less judgmental here than I am in real life, weirdly.  It’s probably the general anonymity of social media that causes this difference.  Even when I do think that a fellow seller is being dense or clueless, having the time to craft my replies allows me to edit myself.  That’s not a luxury I have in real life, since interpersonal interactions are usually rushed and immediate by nature.

Also, interestingly, I’m VERY good with employees.  Over four decades of being an employer and/or a manager, I’ve learned how to treat employees with the respect they need and deserve, even in disciplinary situations. But it’s easier to be patient and such with people we like/love, rather than with the great unwashed masses, eh?  I just need to remember more to apply my employee/family relationship mindset to the rest of the world.  

[CareyJo]

I can relate to so much of this!  I worked in retail for many years and truly learned that I work better alone.  I don't do well being micromanaged.  This also speaks to that saying you quoted, which I've heard many times.  It is oh so true.  I don't get away from it though, being self-employed, of course.  I'm the voice of our company and dealing with the customers before my husband every sees them.  He's the face but everything goes through me first and they never (or rarely) see my face.

I know what you mean about crafting your reply.  I edit myself so much in writing!  But I can't do that in person and I'm one of those that's always going "oh, I should have said ___________" instead.

It's awesome that with so many years of experience you know exactly where you're at and what you need.  Glad to hear that you value your employees, so many companies don't.  I'm constantly saying that if you don't treat your people well they have no reason to be loyal to you.

Thank you for sharing!!

[DinaLRosenberg]

GREAT question!

My top three strengths are:

I'm Fast

I know a lot of crap about a lot of crap (especially business related) 

and I know what I do not know- I can research where go to learn and get up to speed quickly.

Speed has alway been. really large part of my business advantage. I decision very quickly and often get a sense of what does and doesn't work very quickly and don't mind pivoting if necessary.

I have no preconceived notions about my business and will swap out and change if the consumer demands it. I try and follow consumer trends and be on top of it.

I'm also blessed because I have great people around me. I have an excellent partner and great team members that get the vision and basically understand what decisions they can make without us and what decisions they need additional help with.

One weakness? Sometimes I get too focused and don't pick my head up and see other opportunities.. but that's where having a great partner comes in... four eyes are better than two 🙂

[CareyJo]

I love this!  I tend to think pretty quickly on my feet and work fast as well.  I'm one of those people who will stand and watch someone else trying to do a task and want to DESPERATELY step in and just say give it to me!  Let me do it!!!!  LOL...  I'm also a "resourcer".  People come to me for just about everything.  I told my husband today that I know a lot but I don't know everything.  I've just accumulated so much knowledge... my former mentor used to describe me as a sponge.  I just soak it all up!  And if I don't have an answer, I definitely know where to go to get it!

I think it's so fantastic that you know these things about yourself and use them in your everyday life and business.

Thank you so much for sharing!!