Discovering your core virtues is essential for leading a fulfilling and purposeful life. Your virtues are the guiding principles that shape your actions, decisions, and relationships. Understanding them can help you navigate challenges with confidence and live in alignment with your true self. By uncovering your core virtues, you gain clarity on what truly matters, empowering you to live a more intentional and rewarding life.

1. Reflecting on Past Experiences

Looking back on past experiences can reveal patterns in your behavior and values. Think about moments when you felt most proud or fulfilled. These instances often highlight the virtues you hold dear. By reflecting on these moments, you can uncover what truly matters to you. Discovering these patterns helps you understand your core virtues.

2. Seeking Feedback From Trusted Friends

Getting feedback from trusted friends provides an outside perspective on your strengths. Friends who know you well can offer insights you might overlook. Ask them about times when you inspired or impressed them. Their feedback can shine a light on virtues you may not fully recognize in yourself. This external perspective helps validate your core virtues.

3. Analyzing Role Models And Their Virtues

Analyzing role models and their virtues helps you identify qualities you admire. Consider the people you look up to and what makes them stand out. Do you value their kindness, resilience, or integrity? By pinpointing these traits, you can better understand which virtues resonate with you. Emulating these virtues can guide your personal growth.

4. Taking a Virtue Assessment Quiz

Taking a virtue assessment quiz is a structured way to discover your virtues. The VIA Character Strengths Survey is a fantastic tool for this purpose. These quizzes are designed to evaluate your values and personality traits. They provide a clear picture of your core virtues based on your responses. Here are my Top 5 as of February 2024:

1. Humor
2. Spirituality
3. Gratitude
4. Love of Learning
5. Hope

It’s a fun and enlightening process that offers concrete results.

Putting It All Into Action

Reflecting on past experiences, seeking feedback from trusted friends, analyzing role models, and taking a virtue assessment quiz are all great ways to discover your core virtues. Start by choosing one method to explore this week and see what you uncover. As you identify your virtues, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of yourself and how to live a more meaningful life. Dive in, have fun, and remember that this journey is all about discovering the best in you!

And, if you’re in the NE Metro Atlanta area and would like to go even deeper, you might want to check out an upcoming workshop I’m facilitating, Activate Your Heroic Potential. We’ll be using a combination of these methods to build antifragile confidence, gain clarity, and implement a process for achieving your goals.

Share & Share Some More