Use SWOT Analysis to Renew Your Life
If you are in the business world, you have probably heard of the concept of SWOT analysis. Like many others, you may even have set new business goals with this analysis. But have you ever tried to extend this analysis out of your work life?
I notice that people develop habits like not using the concepts and techniques that are generally used in the workplace in daily life, and not applying the practices of daily life to work life. People split their lives into work and private life and then complain that they cannot integrate the two. However, the coaching approach approaches the human being as a whole. Because life is a whole. I always consider my clients and mentees as whole and complete, as well. I encourage them to adopt a holistic view of their own lives.
In this blog post, I will guide you to take a holistic look at your own life and personalize the SWOT so that you can use it to renew your life.
What is SWOT?
SWOT analysis is acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. In other words, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats are the components of SWOT analysis.
SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that allows organizations to identify their strengths and weaknesses, discover the opportunities in the professional world; develop new tactics against threats from competitors or market forces while setting business goals in professional life.
SWOT analysis is extremely effective. It enables an internal assessment by identifying strengths and weaknesses on the one hand, and an external assessment by looking at opportunities and threats on the other. Each point that emerges from this analysis is first identified and then discussed and evaluated. This provides institutions and organizations with a foresight into the future in their businesses, while at the same time facilitating decision-making processes and enabling more accurate decisions to be made.
Wouldn’t you like to gain insight into your own life, make easier and better decisions for yourself? Have you ever considered how different your life would be if you understood your own inner strengths and weaknesses, if you were aware of the opportunities and threats of the outside world?
I call a holistic SWOT analysis of an individual a “personal situation analysis” or “personal SWOT”. Now come, let’s see how you do it.
What is a personal SWOT?
Personal SWOT treats you as a holistic being with all areas of your life. What kind of life do you live, what kind of relationships do you cultivate in this life, how are your relationships with your family and friends, where do you have difficulties, what do you experience in your private and professional life, what do you feel, in which areas do you feel behind, in which areas do you experience constant failures, which trait do you admire yourself for the most, how do your friends describe you? Your personal SWOT analysis is a very useful tool to help you find answers to these and many other questions, to give you the inner strength you need to build the rest of your life, and to help you identify the effects of external factors you cannot avoid.
Strengths: Strengths are the qualities that you like about yourself, that others like about you, that you are most admired for, that you like about yourself whether others know it or not. You may have very strong mathematical skills, you may be a good cook, you may have a talent for imitation, you may be able to simplify things and make them understandable to everyone, you may be a good designer, you may have strong visual skills, you may be a good listener, you may know how to code, you may have a lot of money, you may have developed the ability to write, or you may speak more than one language very well. These are your treasures, the parts of you that are inherent or ingrained in you over time, the qualities that you would be happy to have with you for the rest of your life…
Weaknesses: I don’t really like to use the term “weaknesses”. Instead, “areas for improvement” makes much better sense. Because in everything there is a way forward. A better tomorrow than today is possible. What you need to improve is what you don’t like, what makes you feel like a failure and a stumbling block, what hinders or strains your relationships with others, what gets in the way of progress, what people around you complain about.
To find your strengths and weaknesses, you can get in touch with people who know you well and seek their opinions. Because sometimes an outside eye can tell you more about yourself, can make you realize with clarity what you find difficult to admit to yourself.
Opportunities: Opportunities in your life are situations on your life path that are not yet in your hands, but that are possible, that may come your way or that may be useful to you depending on the course of events. An open higher position in your field, a new association, a new member, a new person in your life, trends and changes in the country and the world, areas of little interest, new ideas are all areas of opportunity.
Threats: Situations, people and circumstances can be threats in one’s life. Threats are things that could derail you, cause you to stumble along the way, or keep you from moving forward. Someone who makes things difficult for you at work, the economic situation of the country or the world, the climate crisis, your competitors, people who stand in the way of your progress can be or become a threat to you.
Look at your life holistically
When doing your personal SWOT, you should write down what you see in your life for each area. What you need to pay attention to here is that your strengths and areas for improvement, as well as your opportunities and threats, cover all areas of your life. You can do smaller customized personal SWOT analyses for specific topics if you want, but the bigger you think, the clearer you will be able to articulate your life vision. Furthermore, when you look at yourself holistically, it is possible to realize that your strengths in certain areas can be useful in other areas and will carry you to your goal.
Your personal SWOT will guide you in your personal development and progress, in making your life the way you envision it, when you need to make decisions about your life.
Before I forget, you should remember to update your personal SWOT periodically. Because as life progresses, both you, what you have achieved and your environment will change.
How do I adapt personal SWOT to my life?
Our main goal in life is to build a fulfilling life for ourselves. A fulfilled life is possible when we are able to experience our potential and life in all its aspects. Small goals and small steps on the road to a fulfilled life lead to big achievements.
You can use your personal SWOT to move towards the fulfilled life that will become your greatest achievement in life.
Check your SWOT:
Do your career goals match your personality?
Are there any weaknesses you need to work on for your career goals?
Are your career goals doomed to crumble under a major threat?
What is the best opportunity for your career goals?
Which areas do you need to focus on to unlock your potential?
Which of your strengths have you never used?
Which of your strengths do you enjoy using?
Which of your characteristics match the important areas of your life that are waiting for you to make a decision?
Which of your relationships support the direction you want to go?
Which of your relationships are hurting you?
Which situations are hindering you in the direction you want to go?
These questions could be multiplied. You should conduct your personal SWOT as extensively and honestly as possible so that you can find out what your priorities are, what you want to do and what you need to do to achieve them in a clear manner.
Personal SWOT – as I mentioned before – can also be done in more detail for specific topics. You have to remember that SWOT is a flexible, evolving and changing construct. Just like you and life…
SWOT will enable you to better analyze your current situation, to consider your own potential when making decisions, to choose goals that are compatible with your goals, and to understand whether the offers or opportunities that come your way are in alignment with you. SWOT will help you identify areas for improvement more clearly. You will better analyze the areas you are going to work on. You will be able to evaluate yourself better and build on your strengths. You will be prepared for threats from the outside world. You will be able to adapt yourself to the changing world. You will be able to ensure that the negativity you cannot avoid affects you as little as possible. As you look at your SWOTs over time, you will see how far you have come.
The path to a fulfilled life is to take a fresh look at your life. And the first step is a good SWOT analysis…
You can seek the support of a coach in doing your SWOT and setting your life goals. And if you want to work with me, you can contact me to assist you find your way to a fulfilling life.