Insight: Why We Are Less Self-Aware Than We Think—and What to Do About It

by Tasha Eurich

APPENDIX F What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses? The sixth pillar of insight is our reactions—that is, our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in any given moment. Such reactions, at their core, are often a reflection of our strengths and weaknesses. Here are a few questions to help you begin to understand yours. Your Strengths In the past, what have you picked up easily without a lot of training? What do you seem to do faster or better than other people? What type of work makes you feel most productive? What type of work do you feel the most proud of? What have you accomplished that’s genuinely surprised you? Your Weaknesses What are your biggest failures and what commonalities exist between them? When have you been most disappointed with your performance? What piece of constructive feedback have you heard from others most often? What tasks and activities do you dread most? What qualities do your loved ones playfully tease you about? Remember, when it comes to gaining real-time insight on our momentary reactions to the world, the trick is to reflect less and notice more—so you also might examine the tool of mindfulness in chapter 6, which is arguably the most effective approach for actually gaining insight about our real-time reactions.