Behold the Labrador Retriever, a fine specimen of a water dog.  In case you didn’t know, Labrador Retrievers have webbed paws, waterproof fur and a broad tail that acts as a rudder when they swim. Nature truly designed them as swimmers, and swimming is the biggest joy of Jasmine’s life – even more than eating. (For those of you familiar with the Labrador Retriever appetite, you understand how astounding this statement is.)

One look at the picture above, and you know it’s true: Jasmine was born to swim. (Yes, the one standing in the water dish is my baby.)

When Jasmine was about five months old, I took her swimming for the first time. Being the devoted dog mom that I am, I had read all of the puppy books and was aware that you need to watch a puppy closely when they first start to swim. I remember one book in particular cautioning that puppies can overestimate their abilities, swim out too far from shore and then not be able to make it back.

Of course, the people who wrote those books never met Jasmine.

For her safety and my sanity, Jasmine’s first swim was in a pool. Up until that point, she had never been allowed near a body of water deeper than a puddle, but she took off and did a dive worthy of the Olympics. Truly, judges should have been in the surrounding lounge chairs holding up signs that read “10.”

Since that day, the biggest issue with Jasmine and swimming is that she never wants to stop. Even this summer – at 11 years old and with hip dysplasia – Jasmine swam three hours every day when we went to the beach for vacation. She was so energetic and had such a sparkle in her eye that passers-by asked how old my “puppy” was.

You see, that’s what happens when you are true to your nature. When you’re really living authentically, you know it in your heart. You know it in your head. And you see it in your actions. You approach the activities of daily living from a different perspective – one of anticipation rather than dread or boredom.

That’s not to say doing laundry becomes mystical or changing diapers is something you eagerly await. But when you’re being true to who you really are, you’re able to meet even everyday tasks with a stronger sense of purpose and believe that the things you do mean something.

Sounds great, huh? Want to know where you can get some? Well, I’m here to tell you it’s a lot easier than it sounds. The key to being true to your nature is discovering and building on your strengths.

When people use their strengths regularly, they experience “more confidence, optimism, and direction in life.” [i] On the other hand, 30 years of research by Gallup found that those who don’t employ their strengths often “achieve less on a daily basis” and “have fewer positive and creative moments.” [ii]

So, the obvious answer is that you need to identify your strengths and then look for opportunities to use them. But how can you figure out what your strengths are?

There are basically two ways to determine your strengths. The first is to take a strengths survey. There are a lot of them available, but some are more reliable than others.  Two of the best – the VIA Survey of Character Strengths and the Brief Strengths Test – are on the University of Pennsylvania website and, best of all, they’re FREE:

http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx

The second way is self-reflection. To determine your strengths the good old-fashioned way, you can just complete the following sentences:

• I’m most creative when I ____________________________________________________________.

• When I am doing ____________________________________________________________,
  time just flies by.

• I would love to learn ____________________________________________________________.

• I feel really good about myself when I ____________________________________________________________.

• Of all the things I do, I am most pleased with ____________________________________________________________.

• I’m a natural at ____________________________________________________________.

Since people tend to feel better in general when using their strengths, this exercise will give you a good idea of what they are.

So that just leaves one missing piece of the puzzle: What do you do with your strengths once you’ve identified them?  And that, my dear readers, is the subject for my next blog posting.

Tune in next week for a discussion of how to use your strengths so that you, too, can live authentically and be true to your nature.  After all, why should Labrador Retrievers have all the fun?

[ii] http://www.gallup.com/consulting/61/Strengths-Development.aspx