How to find and use your strengths [FREE POST]

What are they, again?

John Cleese uses legal knowhow (how to look rad in a wig?) in A Fish Called Wanda

In order to be successful in anything, and especially in stand up, it’s important to identify and use your strengths.

This may be easier said than done if you’re not exactly sure what they are.

But consider this—they don’t have to be, and probably won’t be your “typical, traditional” strengths.

On their faces, the strengths needed to succeed in comedy might be less about being an accomplished academic (though it might be!), probably not about being an excellent driver (but actually, that could come in handy), and maybe not so much about knowing every bird name and species (but let’s put a pin in that).

Because, when you stand at a microphone and tell jokes, how would academics, good driving skills, or bird knowledge be useful?

Except that actually, they very well could be.

One of my horrific… strengths? is that I’m a hypochondriac.

Some of my favorite comedians are brilliant nerds who went to school with scholarships to become high achieving professionals before (dropping out and?) going on to become stellar yuk yuk slingers.

Demitri Martin and John Cleese come to mind. (Cleese played a great lawyer in A Fish Called Wanda — I daresay his knowledge of the legal world helped his performance!).

Driving skills will be useful for road gigs and teaming up with other comedians to drive them in trade for spots on their shows (yes, this is a thing) and knowing every bird name (or maybe even not knowing) could lend itself to some great comedy.

How to find your strengths

Chances are, by now, you know some of your strengths. If you aren’t sure:

-Listen to what people say. How do they compliment you? What are things you hear people saying over and over?
-Ask. Ask close friends or crowd source. Be willing to be vulnerable, it could pay off in information that could change your life.
-Brainstorm. Get out ye old notebook, search your soul and write your strengths down. How can they help you?

The fun thing is that our strengths are always changing and growing, as we do.

Also strengths are tricky. They can be both powerful and disempowering, depending on how they are used.

Already feeling overwhelmed? As a member of The Museletter, you get a free strength analysis, simply by messaging below. Paid subscribers also get access to a direct link to the document below the paywall.