Something about the transition from one year to the next inspires us to want to improve ourselves. Want to start 2019 with a New Year’s resolution? What if we make it easy? It seems there are 24 character strengths and every one of us already possesses all 24 – just in different proportions. How about starting the New Year acknowledging the strengths that already make you uniquely YOU?

Tally up your character strengths by adding 1 (one) or 0 (zero) on the line next to the following descriptions. Give yourself 1 if the description fits like a glove, or 0 if it’s a stretch to agree. Here we go!

WISDOM

__ Judgment: You think things through and examine them from all sides.

__ Learning: You have a passion for mastering new skills and knowledge.

__ Perspective: People who know you consider you wise.

COURAGE

__ Bravery: You do not shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain.

__ Honesty: You live your life in a genuine and authentic way.

__ Perseverance: You work hard to finish what you start.

HUMANITY

__ Kindness: You are kind and generous to others.

__ Love: You value close relations with others.

__ Social Intelligence: You know how to fit in to different social situations.

JUSTICE

__ Fairness: One of your abiding principles is to treat all people fairly.

__ Leadership: You excel at encouraging a group to get things done.

__ Teamwork: You excel as a member of a group.

CREATIVITY

__ Curiosity: You like exploration and discovery.

__ Innovation: Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are.

__ Hope: You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it.

POSITIVITY

__ Humor: Bringing smiles to other people is important to you

__ Prudence: You are a careful person.

__ Zest: You approach everything you do with excitement and energy.

TEMPERANCE

__ Forgiveness: You forgive those who have done you wrong.

__ Humility: You don’t seek the spotlight and others recognize and value your modesty.

__ Self-Regulation: You’re a disciplined person.

TRANSCENDENCE

__ Appreciation: You notice and appreciate beauty and excellence in all domains of life.

__ Gratitude: You’re aware of good things that happen and don’t take them for granted.

__ Trust: Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

Focusing on actions rather than ideals is the best way to assess character. Each of us will come up with differing scores.

Areas where you scored 3 out of 3 are your strongest character strengths. Mine: Wisdom and Creativity.

Areas where you scored 2 out of 3 are your moderate character strengths. Mine: Courage, Humanity, Justice, and Positivity.

Areas where you scored 1 out of 3 are your developing character strengths. Mine: None.

Areas where you scored 0 are not a current value. Mine: Temperance.

Of course there is only one YOU. I hope you feel good about your character strengths, but if you feel resistant to being defined we’d need to make up this additional character trait:

INDIVIDUALITY

__Analytic: You challenge statements and question their fact base.

__Resolute: You’re ok challenging authority and shaking things up.

__Thorough: You balance determination with openness.

Whoops 3 out of 3 for me!

Source: Adapted from viacharacter.org.