We don’t know ourselves. We’re simply too close to see what great strengths we have and what we can offer to others.

We can, however, improve our self-awareness in a simple,  but meaningful way — we can ask others we trust about our strengths, what we bring to the job when we are at our best, and where we show our enthusiasm.

But sometimes, we just don’t want to ask others (perhaps it’s a guy thing…).

If you don’t want to ask someone else you trust about what you bring to a position, Jane Lowder of Career EQ offers up some good questions to ask yourself in her article “I don’t want to be a Passenger in my own life:”

Next time you find yourself stuck in traffic or delayed on public transport, instead of dreaming of the exact wording of the dressing down you’d like to give the local transport authority if given the chance, start thinking about the exact wording that would describe you.

• What are you like when you’re at your best?
• What are 3 skills you possess that any employer would value in an employee?
• What have you achieved in your day today?
• What are you proud of having done/been/studied?
• What are your favourite work-related tasks in any given day?

Try this activity 2-3 times a week for 1 month and take notice of how it changes your thinking about yourself, your career and your future. See if it doesn’t help to shift you from the position of passenger to that of pilot of your own life.

It’s good advice and will help you define your best for your career.

Scot