BALCONIES VS BASEMENTS BY OLIVIA SULLIVAN

Did you know that your strengths, used incorrectly, can end up being your weaknesses? “balconies” are the positive characteristics of your strengths, and “basements” are the potential negative characteristics that come along with your strengths. For example, one of my personal strengths is ‘focus’. When “focus” is a balcony for me I am disciplined, purposeful, and a go-getter/setter. On the other hand, the basement version of this strength would include characteristics such as being intense, stressed, and struggling to relax. I have noticed that when I overwork my strengths, my creativity is negatively affected and I am unable to function at my best ability. So how do I fix things? I stop working and I work out, cook, write, paint...anything that shifts my mind to something hands-on creative. 

The next time you are feeling stressed, overworked, or as if you’ve run out of creativity, remember to take a step back and adjust. Try to look at your struggles from an outside perspective. Write down what you know and do some investigating. 

You’ve got this.