What are Peak Experiences and why do they matter?
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.”
– Judy Garland
Over the course of our lives, we each have a variety of experiences – in our families, at school, in our neighborhoods, through our hobbies and in the workplace. Each life experience can have an impact (small or great) on our thoughts and feelings, which leads us to some form of response or action.
Experiences are very powerful as they serve as a reflection of who we are, what we think and believe, how we respond to the world around us, and the choices we pursue. Some life experiences are positive and make us feel happy, joyful and satisfied. Other life experiences can be negative and evoke feelings of sadness, discomfort and pain. There are some experiences which can be more insightful than others in revealing to us what makes us uniquely ourselves.
In our work lives, initial success and financial security often drive the path we follow. However, many people wake up one day well into their careers and realize that they went along with the tide without stopping to assess how well their choices fit with their unique strengths and preferences. Work has become a routine of chasing deadlines and keeping up with an ever-increasing level of tasks, but it's hard to muster the energy when satisfaction and meaning are missing. This often leads to burnout and/or jumping ship for new opportunities, moving to a new role in search of satisfaction, meaning and fulfillment.
The problem is that most people are not consciously aware of what makes them tick and what their true needs are, and without such insight, they simply meander from one thing to another hoping and praying that things will work out differently this time. Sometimes it does, but many times it is just another short-term detour.
Many companies turn to assessments that identify your personal preferences using surveys that compare you to others. Participants receive several descriptors that indicate personal tendencies, but the insights delivered are not always actionable in pursuing specific changes to one’s career trajectory.
Deeply analyzing peak experiences from your personal and professional life can be a treasure trove of actionable insights in discovering your unique strengths. In this context, peak experiences are situations when you are in an active, achieving role and enjoy a high level of sustained energy and personal satisfaction when working to accomplish something. The word “peak” is used because the levels of positive energy-flow, excitement, personal satisfaction, and fulfillment are extremely high during these experiences.
Peak experiences occur repeatedly throughout your lifetime and contain the elements of your unique strengths. By unpacking Peak Experiences, you uncover the steps taken and your unique strengths in achievements that form a natural, clearly identifiable pattern. This achievement pattern is a powerful insight, that when understood, can be replicated over and over again and is the source of an individual’s energy, creativity, performance and satisfaction. It takes a fair amount of work and introspection, but the results will be much greater clarity in finding high energy and satisfaction to take control of your career path.
Interested in learning more? tru Strength Realization can help you peel back the layers of the onion with your peak experiences and get you on a path toward understanding and utilizing your unique strengths. Sign up for a demo today!
“Reconnect to what makes you happy and brings you Joy. If there is something that used to make you happy which you have stopped doing, do it again. Seek to find deeper meaning and significance rather than living on the surface.”
― Susan C. Young
