We all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to creativity. Strengths are our personal characteristics, that help us be more creative. Weaknesses are our personal characteristics that hinder us from being more creative.

Some examples of strengths that can help you be more creative are:

• healthy imagination
• healthy self-confidence
• enjoy learning and experiencing new things
• knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics
• enjoy taking on challenges
• comfortable socializing with people

Some examples of weaknesses that can hinder you from being more creative are:

• fear of failing to complete a task
• low self-esteem and confidence in your abilities to do things
• fear what others think of you
• lack of imagination
• narrow range of interest and hobbies
• keep to yourself and socialize very little

I have personally experienced all of these examples. What are your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to being creative? Make your own list like the one above.

Now that you have identified your strengths and weaknesses, the power of making a difference in your life comes from taking your strengths and applying them to your weaknesses to turn the weaknesses into strengths. For example, if you have a healthy self-confidence, yet you socialize very little, you can use that strength to overcome that weakness. Use your self-confidence to change your socializing patterns and go out and get involved where you can meet new people. Volunteering to help out at a non-profit service in the community would do it. As you do this, your strengths will increase and help you, while your weaknesses will decrease their hindering influences in your life.

Opportunities are like strengths but they are things external to you that can help you be more creative. As well, threats are like weaknesses in that they also hinder you from being more creative, but they are external to you and are a part of the environment you are living in.

Examples of opportunities in your workplace may be:

• supportive peers
• professional development courses
• counselling services
• libraries or similar resources
• mentors you can learn from

Examples of threats in your workplace may be:

• supervisors that oppress people
• peers that ridicule everyone
• limited resources and tight budgets
• unhealthy work conditions

All of these examples I have experienced at one time or another in my life. What opportunities and threats are you experiencing in the workplace right now? Make your own list like the one above.

The power of identifying these threats and opportunities is to relate them to your strengths and weaknesses, thereby leveraging your strengths and opportunities to increase your capacity to be more creative. Here are a few ways to do that:

• Apply the opportunities to your strengths to make them even stronger.
• Apply your strengths to the threats to reduce their negative influence in your life.
• Apply the opportunities to your weaknesses to turn them into strengths.

This is a very personal thing and it is up to you to find the best matches that will work for you. Start with the easy ones and then with success, move up to those that are more challenging. One example would be to take advantage of a counseling service to address any low self-esteem problems you may have. Of course, if you are lacking the courage to do that, you may need to apply one of your strengths of being out-going to overcome that obstacle.

Watch this video about a woman who overcame a significant weakness by applying her strengths and opportunities.

Living beyond limits | Amy Purdy | TEDxOrangeCoast

Living beyond Limits | Amy Purdy | TEDxOrangeCoast https://youtu.be/N2QZM7azGoA

You may recognize this approach of analysis and problem solving as a SWOT analysis and you would be correct. Have you ever applied a SWOT analysis to yourself, before? If you take this seriously and work through this, you will find valuable benefits in how you can make changes in your life, to become more creative and more successful in whatever field you are working in. Review this article that talks more about how to use a SWOT analysis to understand your own creative abilities better. http://www.canadaone.com/tools/buy_a_biz/section1c.html

I have used this approach many times in my life to help me be more successful in both my professional and non-professional lives. Now, this has become very natural to me so that I will use this automatically to take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself and overcome any threat as soon as it arises.

What changes will you make in your life based on what you have discovered from doing a personal SWOT analysis?

What is holding you back from completing this challenge? What strengths or opportunities can you employ to help you overcome obstacles?

Share your thoughts with a friend and ask for honest feedback and support.