Hidden Strengths

What was one small thing you did really well today?

I bet you have to stop and think about that for a moment. What if, instead, I asked you what was one mistake you made? That one, I’m guessing, was probably easier to answer right away.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

As humans, we are wired to focus on the negative—it’s part of our survival instinct. Many (most) of us have a running commentary in our minds that goes something like this: I forgot to take out the trash this morning. I can’t believe I said that during the meeting. How could I have been so stupid to think that idea was any good? Why should I try when I know I’ll just fail? This is too hard for me. Ugh, I knew I should have worn that sweater instead of this one. My boss probably thinks I’m an idiot. She seems like she’s mad at me. I’m never going to get that promotion. I really let him down. I should have kept my mouth shut. I am such a klutz. I wish I would have said something, but I was afraid.

Maybe some of these resonate with you. The point is, we all get stuck in negative self-talk loops in a variety of situations, but, at the end of the day, we still make it through. Think about it: you’ve survived one hundred percent of the time so far.

That’s a pretty good track record!

This week is all about discovering our hidden strengths—and we all have them.

Writing Prompt: Focus on the past week. Identify three moments when you felt emotinally drained, challenged, or discouraged. For each moment, write down one small action that you took or one small thought you held onto that helped you move though that difficult moment.

These moments don’t have to be heroic. They can be as simple as “I took a deep breath,” or “I listened.” Putting these moments into writing validates the small victories and moments of strength in our day that often go unnoticed, which builds a foundation of self-trust and recognizing resilience as a daily practice.

And the next time your brain meanders down its well-worn path of negative self-talk, you’ll have a visual script that tells it otherwise.