Think of something you want to improve about yourself. How would you categorize the thing you chose: Is it a strength or a weakness? In all likelihood, you chose a weakness. A study from 2016 found that we tend to see weaknesses as more changeable than strengths—which means we're more inclined to try to improve where we're weak. But various studies have shown that when we focus on developing our strengths, we grow faster than when trying to improve our weaknesses. Plus, people who use their strengths are happier, less stressed, and more confident. When someone says "focus on your strengths," it's easy to read that as "just do what you're good at and you won't need to improve." But that's what Stanford professor and researcher Carol Dweck calls a fixed mindset: Believing that your talents are innate gifts. That's opposed to Dweck's growth mindset: Believing that your talents can be developed. Dweck argues that both strengths and weaknesses can be improved, and she says that people with a growth mindset "tend to achieve more than those with a fixed mindset because they put more energy into learning. In other words, people who believe they can improve put more effort into improving, which, in turn, helps them improve. To grow professionally and personally, it's not enough to identify your strengths and use them. You also need to believe that those strengths can be improved. The first step in growing your strengths is identifying them, and that can be a tricky task. Weaknesses are obvious. You're asked to give a speech, but you feel miserable with anxiety anticipating it. Or you're asked to document a process, but you always did poorly in your writing classes in school, so the blank page mocks you. Exercising your strengths, on the other hand, tends to feel more like moving through day-to-day life. That can make it hard to identify what it is you're really good at. If you're not sure what your strengths are, here are some ways to identify them: Pay attention, look for unexpected praise for something you didn't put much effort into, or consider how different activities make you feel. Something is a strength if it makes you feel successful, drawn to it, fully engages you, and leaves you feeling energized and fulfilled. You can also crowdsource your strengths by asking people in your life what they think your strengths are. Take a strengths or personality test like Gallup's CliftonStrengths test, which measures 34 possible strengths. Create a list of your accomplishments and look for patterns that reveal your strengths. After you've identified your strengths, create a plan to grow those strengths. You can start by learning more about your newfound strength through classes or online tutorials. Think about constructive criticism you've received and use it as an opportunity to improve. Develop related skills that complement your core strength. Use your strengths, teach someone else, and focus on growth over perfection.