RETIREMENT STRENGTHS WORKSHEET

(To print this worksheet, I recommend downloading the free .pdf file from my Happiness Resources page.)

Don’t leave the best parts of yourself at work!

Complete this worksheet using your results from the VIA online strengths survey.

Strengths are like skills, but more fundamental. They’re a basic part of who you are. When you’re using one of your strengths, you may feel so engaged in what you’re doing that time flies by—or goes into slow motion. Using a strength toward a meaningful goal can feel challenging, and yet effortless.

In the first column below, write down the names of your top five strengths, or “signature strengths.”

In the second column, for each strength, write at least one way that you currently use that strength AT WORK. These are probably the most involving and rewarding aspects of your job. You may be using some strengths at work, that you don’t get to use in your personal life. You would miss using them.

In the third column, for each strength, write at least one way that you can plan to use that strength IN RETIREMENT. Your strengths don’t just accomplish things out in the world—using your strengths gives you inner strength. They keep you engaged, which is one key to happiness in retirement. How can you find new ways to use your Retirement Strengths right now—as well as in retirement?

© 2006 John E. Nelson. The VIA Strengths were created by Christopher Peterson & Martin Seligman.