In my last post, I asked you to think about what you need to move closer towards thriving in 2024?
So, what are the things that you need to make this year great? One that is better than the last. Have you figured them out yet? Will they build on what you learnt last year? Or will they be entirely new?
I have no doubt that this year, we’re all going to face challenges, setbacks, change and a good dose of ambiguity. Because that is one of life’s guarantees. But we can thrive in spite of it. To do that however, we have to equip ourselves with the right toolset and mindset.
The good news is that if you’re not sure what you need, the heavy lifting has been done for you. I’ve spent close to a decade scouring journals, reading books and articles, doing interviews, reviewing my own and others’ experiences, and testing strategies out in real-world scenarios to find out what leads to deeper engagement, increased resilience, greater wellbeing and better performance aka thriving.
During this research, I uncovered six principles that create the foundations for success in work and life. The first letter of each principle when combined spells the word STRONG. I don’t know about you but I love a good acronym, and so do our brains, as it makes information so much easier to remember!
What are the STRONG principles?
Outlined below are six strategies that have been shown to deliver some really great outcomes.
Strengths – we need to play to our strengths and manage our weaknesses so we’re deeply engaged and satisfied with our work and lives, and can experience lots of flow.
Trust & Psychological Safety – we need to trust people and be part of a safe environment, where we can share and learn from one another.
Resilience – given the number of challenges we all face, we need to effectively more forward and grow from our struggles.
Optimism – an optimistic mindset encourages us to be positive about the future so we’re able to problem-solve, take action, and we’re more energetic as a result.
Networks – we need to have high-quality connections with those around us as this greatly impacts our energy and stress.
Goals & Purpose – when we’re intrinsically motivated, we’re more likely to achieve our goals and more.
Although based on research, you’ve probably realised that these principles aren’t rocket science. Intuitively they make a lot of sense but unfortunately they’re not always our focus. Yet when they’re all present, they lay the foundations for thriving.
How are you going with the STRONG principles?
If these six strategies are the key to unlocking success in your work and life, it’s a good idea to find out how you’re going with them. Because you will already be doing some of these, yet there may be some that are new to you.
Take a few moments now to read through each in the table below. Then in the Agreement column, you can rate yourself across each element from 1 (Strongly disagree), 2 (Disagree), 3 (Neither agree nor disagree), 4 (Agree), to 5 (Strongly Agree).
So how did you go?
- Where did you score the highest?
- Where did you score low?
- Which one or two elements will you prioritise (not necessarily where you scored the lowest) to move you closer towards thriving? And how?
- If you’re a leader, which factors do you think your team needs to focus on?
Hopefully you now have greater clarity on what you need to be at your best in 2024. Now it’s over to you to take action so what will you do?
