What are your 10 best qualities?
What are your 10 best qualities?
“I’m fat.” “I’m too skinny.” “I’d be happy if I were taller, shorter, had curly hair, straight hair, a smaller nose, bigger muscles, longer legs, a flatter stomach…” “I am not as kind as I wish. I have hurt people I love.”
Do any of these sound familiar? Are you used to putting yourself down? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us tend to be self-critical, making statements about ourselves that make us feel worse and blind us to our many positive qualities. Our strengths can become even harder to acknowledge when we are going through a difficult phase.
One way to learn to see yourself in a more balanced manner is to make a list of your positive qualities. Think of all the things you like about yourself. Are you smart? Kind? Creative? Loyal? Funny? What would others say are your good qualities? Include any talents, skills, and achievements.
So, go ahead and list 10 of your most positive qualities:
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Now, have a little think: Was it easy or difficult to name your good qualities? What made it easy or difficult? Are you surprised in any way? Are your qualities mainly about your appearance or about your personality? What does that say about your perception of yourself? Are you comfortable sharing your good qualities with others or are you afraid of being perceived as arrogant?
I hope this exercise gives you food for thought. I would love to hear your reflections or answers to some of the questions raised. Please leave a comment below.
If you’ve found this article useful, please feel free to share it with others.
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Once again Vivian, a nice result occurred after reading your article and filling the list of Positive Qualities. It seems easier than it is. I believe that the majority of human beings, due to the daily competence of the modern society, are way too self critical and tend to ignore their positive aspects. If this article proposed us to write down all our Negative Qualities or the things we’d like to change, the list would be longer and quicker to be made. But that is the point. Learning how to embrace and appreciate ourselves more!
Thank you for making me gain a better insight of myself, with such a simple task 🙂
Hi Dimiliana
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing with us your experience after completing the exercise. Indeed sometimes it is easier (or at least people are more familiar with) to talk about what they want to improve rather than acknowledging what they have and being grateful for this. That’s why this exercise is so important, with the hope that it will become part of each reader’s mindset.
Glad you found it valuable.
Best wishes
Vivian