#strengths

Within positive psychology, personal strengths are defined as our built-in capacities for particular ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving (Linley, 2008).

We all possess distinct character strengths that are associated with the 6 virtues of positive psychology theory (Seligman, 2002):

VIRTUES — CORE STRENGTHS

Wisdom. Creativity, Curiosity, Love of learning, Open-mindedness, Perspective

Courage. Authenticity, Bravery, Persistence, Zest

Humanity. Kindness, Love, Social intelligence

Justice. Fairness, Leadership, Teamwork

Temperance. Forgiveness, Modesty/Humility, Prudence, Self-regulation

Transcendence. Appreciation of beauty and excellence, Gratitude, Hope, Humor, Religiousness/Spirituality

Over 3 years, Peterson and Seligman (2004) explored what personal strengths might look like and came up with the above list of 24 core strengths. They referred to these as character strengths and concluded the following:

These 24 strengths are evident across human history and world cultures.

Each of the 24 strengths exists in all of us to varying degrees.

Positive psychology helps us to acknowledge that we may be stronger in some areas and weaker in others, and that’s okay. It’s what makes us all unique. The point is to identify your pattern of strengths so that you can tap into these to live a more fulfilling life.

The Wheel of Character Strengths

Researchers believe we each have all the character strengths to differing degrees, and understanding how each sits within our personal capacity allows us to respond and behave in more positive ways (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).

Learning your strengths and shortcomings can be an integral part of your personal development. One way to identify your inherent strengths is the 15-minute VIA Character Strength Identification Survey.

This Values in Action (VIA) Survey is a leading assessment to highlight an individual’s character strengths (Peterson & Seligman, 2004). It measures 24 character strengths under 6 overarching categories: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.

Symbols of Mental Strength

Positive psychology defines mental strength through the following attributes:

Adaptability

Endurance

Steadfastness

Dependability

Effectiveness

With personal strengths comes the balance of personal weaknesses, and the same is true with mental strength. If not practiced in alignment with personal strengths or without purpose, mental strength may change into its negative counterpart:

Adaptability can become fickleness.

Endurance may lead to martyrdom or victimization.

Steadfastness can turn to inflexibility.

Dependability can become predictability.

Effectiveness may lead to laziness or taking shortcuts.

Being aware of this can help you to adjust where you notice an imbalance. Just as you might go to the gym to build physical muscle and give up bad habits to meet personal fitness goals, you can develop better mental strength through the right mix of behaviors and thoughts (Morin, 2017).

I’m saying what you already know: Never count anyone out. Don’t count yourself out. Don’t take the world’s appraisal of you and make it your own. Be aware of its appraisal—maybe the world has reasons for its reservations, maybe you should work on them. But maybe the world isn’t giving more than a cursory look; maybe it’s hardly looking at all. Even if it is, its estimation will likely lack a warmth of imagination. You may have to bring your own. And after the warmth, the work. Becoming who you are ain’t for sissies.

Pick the picture that draws you most. If you can't choose between two, then look at both readings. This is a general reading so take what resonates and leave what doesn't behind.

Also, I just stupidly realized that pick a pile/card readings are all related to tarot. For clarification, I don't use tarot so there are no "cards" to share with you or read. I place a picture there for you to choose for an intuitive reading.

I stress again that this is a general reading so take it with a grain of salt. These readings are for fun and entertainment and if they're helpful to you, then great.