January & February: Wisdom and Knowledge (strengths that involve the acquisition and use of knowledge)
- Creativity (originality, ingenuity): Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things.
- Curiosity (interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience): Taking an interest in ongoing experience s afor its own sake; exploring and discovering
- Open-mindedness (judgment, critical thinking): Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; weighing all evidence fairly.
- Love of learning: Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one’s own or formally.
- Perspective (wisdom): Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other people
March & April: Courage (strengths that allow one to accomplish goals in the face of opposition)
- Bravery (valor): Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; acting on convictions even if unpopular.
- Persistence (perseverance, industriousness): Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles.
- Integrity (authenticity, honesty): Presenting oneself in a genuine way; taking responsibility for one’s feeling and actions
- Vitality (zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy): Approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated
May & June: Humanity (strengths of tending and befriending others)
- Love: Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated.
- Kindness (generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, “niceness”): Doing favors and good deeds for others.
- Social intelligence (emotional intelligence, personal intelligence): Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself.
July & August: Justice (strengths that build healthy community)
- Citizenship (social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork): Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group.
- Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others.
- Leadership: Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same maintain time good relations within the group.
September & October: Temperance (strengths that protect against excess)
- Forgiveness and mercy: Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting the shortcomings of others; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful
- Humility / Modesty: Letting one’s accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is.
- Prudence: Being careful about one’s choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted.
- Self-regulation (self-control): Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one’s appetites and emotions.
November & December: Transcendence (strengths that forge connections to the larger universe and provide meaning)
- Appreciation of beauty and excellence (awe, wonder, elevation): Appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life.
- Gratitude: Being aware of and thankful of the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.
- Hope (optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation): Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it.
- Humor (playfulness): Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side.
- Spirituality (religiousness, faith, purpose): Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose, the meaning of life, and the meaning of the universe.
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Thank you so much for deciding to follow “The Getting Old Blog.” From my point of view, turning forty is certainly not the threshold of “old age.” I also see that you’ve outlined quite a challenging program for your next forty years. My best wishes for your progress towards your goals. I shall be very interested in monitoring your progress! 🙂
Thank you! No, 40 isn’t the threshold to old age, but it’s the threshold from young age… I hope I will have something to share with you every day this year.
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