So what was the same? The power of Dependable Strengths to transform was evident by Day 2.  In the sharing of “Good Experiences”, the long faces we had seen a day earlier had begun to relax – smiles and laughter replaced them.  Friendships and mutual respect began to develop quickly, as is always the case when sharing Good Experiences.  The program is so cleverly structured to allow space for personal reflection plus peer feedback and support.  The latter component is so powerful – we are so hard on ourselves.  Others almost always see us more positively than we see ourselves.  Here’s how it felt for a few of our participants:

“Who cares about my weaknesses – I’m dynamite!”

“I learned, or had confirmed, that acknowledging my strengths is very empowering.  The collective experience of the group shows that overcoming anything is possible.  I found a new supportive community.”

One of the other things we noted, yet again, was these women’s depth of engagement and effort spent on creating their Dependable Strengths Reports.  They brought each draft to us with such pride – bursting to hear our feedback.  Trevor and I love to read these.  Reading them is like watching an inspiring movie where the writer is the heroine.  You somehow feel you know this person, in the space of one page.  These reports are as heart-warming as the women who wrote them.

Another re-occurring phenomenon we saw with this group was the degree of risk-taking – in their self-disclosures, in trying out new ways of thinking, and in making new contacts in an unconventional way.  There’s no going back once you’ve seen what’s on the other side.

It is a privilege for Trevor and I to witness the blossoming of self-esteem among our participants.  This is why we do this work.  This is why I brought Dependable Strengths to Canada.