Let me tell you a secret: I almost failed my first PTA volunteer gig because I showed up thinking my only strength was making halfway decent boxed brownies (thanks, Betty Crocker). Cut to me three years later – homeschooling two kids through a pandemic, rebuilding our porch after a YouTube tutorial spiral, and mediating debates about Minecraft like a UN negotiator. Turns out? We’re all walking Swiss Army knives of strengths – we just don’t realize it until life starts throwing curveballs.
Here’s what my chaotic coffee-stained journey taught me about spotting strengths:
That time I organized a neighborhood food drive during the 2020 toilet paper apocalypse? Turns out “winging it” had a fancy cousin called adaptability. My husband still laughs about the night I used a yoga strap to secure a Ikea shelf to our minivan (don’t ask), but hey – creative problem-solving looks different in sweatpants at 11PM.
Rookie mistake I made: Thinking strengths had to be “impressive.” My “patience” strength originally felt like a cop-out until I survived teaching my 7-year-old to ride a bike. Ever counted to 137 in Spanish while someone screams “NEVER AGAIN” through Spiderman bandaids? That’s Olympic-level composure.
Unexpected goldmine: Ask your most brutally honest friend. My college buddy once said, “You’re like a human Roomba – you just keep vacuuming up problems until they disappear.” Turns out “tenacity” was my superpower all along. Who knew?
Weird trick that worked: Track compliments that make you cringe. When my sister said, “I wish I could blurt out ideas without caring who hates them,” I realized my “candor” (which I’d labeled “foot-in-mouth disease”) was actually valuable at work meetings.
American life test kitchen:
- That resourcefulness you use combining Target coupons? Strength.
- Calming your toddler mid-meltdown with impromptu Moana reenactments? Emotional intelligence.
- Memorizing every Starbucks order in your carpool? Detail-oriented teamwork (with a side of caffeine addiction).
The clincher: Your “weaknesses” are often strengths in ugly Christmas sweaters. My “nosy” neighborhood group chat habit? Became community-building when I connected a laid-off neighbor with a job lead. My “overthinking”? Saved our camping trip when I packed 17 ways to start a fire during that surprise Arizona monsoon.
Try this tonight: Grab a Dunkin’ napkin and jot down three times you…
- Felt weirdly in your element (Even if it was just nailing parallel parking while tourists honked)
- Got stubborn about fixing something (Including that time you spent 4 hours fixing the WiFi instead of calling Spectrum)
- Made someone unexpectedly say “How’d you do that?!”
Strengths aren’t what you’re good at – they’re what make you forget to check your phone. Mine apparently involve assembling furniture without instructions and convincing kids broccoli is “tiny trees.” Your turn.