My intention is to provide you with an understanding of the character strength framework and offer you a unique groundwork for creating your life through the lens of what’s strong (in your life, career, school, health). Using what’s strong lens and taking on the challenges offered in this course you will be present and notice the amazing opportunities that are available to you Right Now: in this Moment. By creating a new foundation for actions you will experience aliveness, being empowered and breakthrough results !!!

1. Character Strengths and Virtues
What’s Strong
Framework / Modeling
Opportunities / Actions
Create Your Life Powerfully
magdalena@opportunitycoachinggroup.com

2. Thank You
…for taking the VIA survey.
My intention is to provide you with an understanding of the
character strength framework and offer you an unique groundwork
for creating your life through the lens of what’s strong (in your life,
career, school, health).
Using the what’s strong lens and taking on the challenges offered in
this course you will be present and notice the amazing
opportunities that are available to you Right Now: in this Moment.
By creating a new foundation for actions you will experience
aliveness, being empowered and breakthrough results !!!

3. This is my story of finding opportunity in the
face of adversity, and why I am dedicated to
helping you do the same.
Magdalena Ponurska
President, OCG
Business, Leadership, and Executive Coach
A bit about me...
I shouldn’t be here...yet here I am.
I was exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl explosion and told that I
would never walk again. I spent nine months in a body cast and nearly
three years in the hospital. To say that it was a difficult time would be a
vast understatement.
But through it all, I knew that if I looked for opportunity and took
aggressive action, I would achieve my goals. I did not magically walk
out of that hospital. It took exhaustive effort, relentless pain, and the
willingness to accept the help of others—my mother, doctors, nurses,
and physical therapists who all acted as my coaches. I dreamed of
walking and I accomplished that dream.
My next dream was to move America and study psychology, yet I only
spoke two words of English. At age 20, I moved to the US, spent ten
hours a day for six months in a library and taught myself how to read,
write, and speak English. Shortly afterwards, I was accepted to the
University of Michigan psychology program.
I dreamed of studying psychology in America and I accomplished that
dream as well. Now I want to help you accomplish your Big Impossible
Dream.

4.  Happiness
 Accomplishment of goals
 Less stress
 Acceptance
 Productivity
 Positive and supportive social networks
 Satisfying, engaging, and meaningful work
Top 7 Benefits

5. There is only ONE You, unique, original, authentic, extraordinary YOU
Interestingly, no one has the same profile of character strengths as
you do. There are over 600 sextillion possible combinations (that is,
the number 6 followed by 23 zeroes!) of the 24 character strengths,
so profiles are rarely exactly the same. (Niemiec, et al)
And each person expression of strengths is unique; hence only one and
unique: Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela,
Napoleon Bonaparte, Chopin…
*Niemiec, Ryan; McGrath, Robert. The Power of Character Strengths: Appreciate and Ignite Your Positive Personality (Kindle Locations 442-444).
Kindle Edition.
Character Strengths and You

6. History of the Framework
In mid-2000’s, a three year project
sponsored by the VIA Institute on
Character, caused a breakthrough in
the science of positive psychology. It
resulted in launching a “new science of
character” with the focus on language
of strengths. For the first time in
the history the focus shifted from
“what’s wrong” to ”what’s strong”

7. Six Core Virtues are associated with
24 character strengths.
Virtues are the core characteristics
valued by philosophers and thinkers:
wisdom, courage, humanity, justice,
temperance, and transcendence.
These six broad categories of virtue
emerge consistently from historical
surveys and longitudinal research.
VIA Classification of the Character Strengths
Six Core Virtues

8. Classification of the 24 Character Strengths
Character strengths are the psychological
ingredients—processes or mechanisms—that
define the virtues. Said another way, they
are distinguishable routes to displaying one
or another of the virtues.
For example, the virtue of wisdom can be
achieved through such strengths as
creativity, curiosity, love of learning, open-
mindedness, and what we call perspective—
having a “big picture” on life.

9. From Discovery to Action
Imagine the 24 strengths being like the seeds that transform into the most beautiful flowers in
your garden….
The flowers that you nurture, pay attention to, water, weed, bloom fully and grow into the
most spectacular and beautiful flowers; the one’s that are in the shadows remain modest and
hardy, but each one is important because each contributes to the beauty of the garden.

10. After you take the VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA Survey), you
might be left with the question of “What do I do with these
results?”
The following three-step process begins to answer that question and
helps to guide you in a way to work with your strengths. (‘AEA’)
 Awareness/Empowering/Disempowering Believes
 Exploration/Pause/Ponder
 Application/Action
Taking Action with Strengths

11. The first step of understanding yourself or making any kind of change is
to increase your self-awareness (i.e., to “know thyself”). Many people
become surprised to realize that they have all 24 of these strengths
within them. Others are happy to see the positive strengths that
describe who they are at their core.
Some individuals find themselves saying, “I already knew that about
myself.” If that’s true for you, try to push yourself by questioning
yourself deeper (see Explore phase) and build in a growth mindset where
you attempt to see every experience as an opportunity to learn.
Awareness

12.  What is your gut reaction? What surprises you most about your VIA
results?
 Do the highest strengths resonate for you as signature strengths?
 Do you feel these are most core to who you are and most energizing &
natural for you to use?
Awareness: Pause and Ponder (share with a
partner)

13. This involves connecting character strengths, particularly those highest in
your profile, with your past successes, your relationships, your
achievements, times when you are happiest, and times when you’ve faced
great challenge or difficulty.
This phase helps you understand more about who you are (i.e., your
identity), how strengths have shaped you, and how they can impact you
toward a positive future.
This involves discussion with others about your strengths, solitary
reflection, keen observation of yourself and others in various situations,
and even journaling.
Exploration

14.  When you consider times when you were successful, what strengths
were you using? How did each of your signature strengths come into
play?
 How do you express each of your signature strengths every day?
 When you imagine a best possible future for yourself, what strengths
will you need to bring forth to get there? What might you need to do
different?
 When you think of a time when you were anxious, depressed, or highly
stressed, which strengths did you (or could you) use to move forward?
 Consider your past or current mentors (or role models). What
strengths did they embody? How did they express them? What
strengths did they see in you?.
Exploration: Pause and Ponder (share with a
partner)

15. This phase involves making strengths part of your life routine.
This is the action-oriented phase. After thinking about & discussing your
strengths, it’s time to impact your behavior.
Application

16.  Which strengths are you interested in applying in your daily life?
 How might you use your signature strengths in new ways?
 How might you use your strengths to reach your goals?
Application: Pause and Ponder (share with a
partner)

17. Attend to strengths: Set up a system (e.g., sticky notes or other cues)
to remind yourself to pay attention to strengths…to not forget them!
When you get “caught up” in the routines of your day, how will you
shift your mindset back to a focus on strengths?
Practical application

18. Align strengths: Do you use your signature strengths regularly in your
work and your relationships? Find ways to align your strengths with your
tasks and in your conversations.
For example, if you’re high in curiosity, ask unique questions of your
friends and family. If you’re high in appreciation of beauty/excellence, be
sure to set up your work environment where beauty is around you, you
take moments during the day to be out in nature, and you bring forth
high quality work in even mundane tasks.
Practical application

19. Acknowledge and Appreciate strengths of others: Be on the lookout for
the strengths of others; you can probably spot them in any interaction
you have. A first level response with strengths is to label (acknowledge)
the strengths we witness in others (e.g.,
“John, you showed a lot of perseverance and bravery speaking up at that
meeting this morning”). The next level is to show value for (appreciate)
the strengths you observe (e.g., “Sue, I really appreciate your hopeful
and grateful approach to life. I might not always say it, but it really
gives me a lift to be around you.”)
Practical application

20. Based on our interactions
today: who can identify what
my my top strengths are?
Practical application: Quiz

21. Strengths: Application/Action
creativity
curiosity
kindness
leadership
love of learning