some call them strengths, others your defining characteristics, and still others will call them by some other name.  i call them unique factors because it is important to acknowledge that while they may have to deal with your God-given talents and abilities they may also stem from your deepest passions, your distinct personality or the amazing knowledge or  skills you acquired over the years.  regardless of what you call them, we  all have them.  they are the things that make us different from every one else.  the problem is, identifying them can be difficult.  why?

1. we’re not trained to look for them. society has trained us to manage the negatives so we spend our time getting/giving feedback on what could be better, where things went wrong, and how our weaknesses are getting in the way.  you can’t find what you aren’t looking for.
2. they are so natural that we don’t acknowledge them. often your unique factors are second nature, which means we don’t see them as taking much effort to do.  as a result, it is easy for them to slide under the radar.
3. we spend too much time envying other people. it’s easy to recognize what’s unique about someone else and some times we spend so much time idolizing what makes them special and comparing ourselves to them (“wow, danny boy is so good at coming up with great ideas, i wish i could do that”)  that we ignore and trample over what makes us special.

at the end of the day, it is our unique factors that will enable us to distinguish ourselves from the pack, outperform our peers, and make the greatest impact on the organizations and people we touch. consequently, getting rid of the barriers in our way of identifying them is essential.  do you know your unique factors?

let us know your unique factors.  leave your thoughts in the comments below.