069: Conducting a Personal SWOT Analysis

Don’t underestimate the power of the SWOT Analysis, it does a damn good job of examining internal and external factors contributing to or preventing your growth, in a personal and/or professional context. What makes this exercise particularly powerful, is that, with a reasonable amount of genuine effort, it can assist you in unlocking your potential, by identifying opportunities you may have been missing in your life. Also, by understanding your shortcomings, you can be more aware of, manage and ultimately eliminate threats that risk halting your progress. 

Through conducting a personal SWOT analysis, you’ll be able to distinguish yourself from the majority. Doubling down on your strengths, skills, and talents, will allow you to focus your time, energy, and effort. This is just another tool in your personal development toolbox partner! 

Don’t be afraid to word vomit and really divulge all of the information you can, you may be surprised about how you can turn a weakness into an opportunity, or a threat into a strength.

Quote:  Because it encourages self-improvement, using a personal S.W.O.T. analysis to evaluate yourself and your competition will keep you at your best. Use the exercise to sharpen your strengths, improve your weaknesses, identify opportunities for development and neutralize or overcome your threats.

– Lisa Quast

A quick Google search will yield you a TON of SWOT Analysis templates online. Find one that makes that most sense to you and be prepared to dedicate time and effort to this exercise.

Once your SWOT Analysis is complete, the fun begins. It’s CRUCIAL to follow through on the insights this exercise should have provided you, if you don’t, well, you just wasted a bunch of your time for no reason. Matching strengths to opportunities are a great starting point, to see where you can immediately be more proactive. In tandem, you can match your weaknesses to your threats and better understand which risk factors you should be more aware and cognizant of. 

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT is not easy, it can be a process that seems insurmountable at times. It’s easy to plateau when challenging yourself to become better. Next time you feel stuck, and don’t know which way to turn, in any endeavor, a personal SWOT analysis could prove to be very helpful. By identifying new opportunities, you may be inspired to make a breakthrough and achieve success, however you define success. For me, personally, a personal SWOT analysis helped me focus my efforts, prioritize my responsibilities, and better prepare myself to deal with unforeseen circumstances.

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