- The VIA Character Strengths assessment is a free, scientifically validated tool that identifies your top strengths from 24 universal character traits
- Taking the VIA survey helps older adults gain clarity on who they authentically are—not who they were conditioned to be during their career
- Your signature strengths (top 5-7) reveal natural pathways for sharing your unique gifts, creating passion projects, and finding purpose in retirement
- Research shows older adults who use their character strengths experience higher well-being, stronger relationships, and better resilience
- Character strengths inform how you can contribute in non-traditional ways that align with your authentic self
Here’s the thing most people miss when they retire…
You spend decades using your professional skills, and when you cross that retirement finish line, you think those skills define you.
They don’t.
What defines you are your character strengths—the invisible forces that have been driving your decisions, relationships, and sense of fulfillment your entire life.
And YES while financial planning is critical, gaining clarity on your character strengths is equally essential for creating a retirement full of purpose and passion.
What Are Character Strengths (and Why Should You Care)?
Character strengths are positive personality traits that reflect the best qualities in human beings. Think of them as your psychological DNA—the core patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that make you uniquely you.
Psychologists Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman identified 24 character strengths that are universal across all cultures, religions, and philosophies. They organized these into six broad virtue categories: Wisdom, Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence.
Unlike personality tests that box you into types, character strengths identify the qualities that energize you, that you’re naturally drawn to, that make you feel most alive.
Research shows that people who use their character strengths experience higher self-esteem, greater progress toward goals, better relationships, and increased resilience. For older adults specifically, one study found those higher in honesty/integrity had an 18% lower risk of lung disease and 11% lower risk of depression.
Real talk: Your character strengths are the invisible architecture of your most fulfilling life.
The Problem with Looking Outward (Instead of Inward)
You know what I see over and over?
Older adults asking their friends what they should do in retirement. Comparing themselves to other retirees. Filling calendars with stereotypical activities just because “that’s what retirees do.”
Here’s my broken record PSA: The answers are never on the outside.
Your retirement isn’t about replicating someone else’s life. It’s about going inward to discover what authentically lights you up from the inside out.
That’s where the VIA Character Strengths assessment comes in.
How the VIA Survey Works (and What It Reveals)
The VIA Survey is a free, scientifically validated assessment that takes 10-15 minutes to complete. It measures all 24 character strengths and ranks them from strongest to weakest—creating your unique character strengths profile.
Here are the 24 character strengths organized by virtue:
Wisdom & Knowledge: Creativity, Curiosity, Judgment, Love of Learning, Perspective
Courage: Bravery, Perseverance, Honesty, Zest
Humanity: Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence
Justice: Teamwork, Fairness, Leadership
Temperance: Forgiveness, Humility, Prudence, Self-Regulation
Transcendence: Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence, Gratitude, Hope, Humor, Spirituality
After you complete the survey, you’ll see which strengths rank highest for you. Your top 5-7 strengths are called your “signature strengths”—these are the ones that feel most essential to who you are, that energize you when you use them, that define your authentic self.
This is just an example, but let’s say your top strengths are:
- Curiosity
- Love of Learning
- Kindness
- Creativity
- Perspective
What does this tell you?
It tells you that your retirement won’t be fulfilling if you’re just sitting around watching Netflix. You need intellectual stimulation, new experiences, creative outlets, and ways to help others using your wisdom.
As in, you now have energizing breadcrumbs to follow.
From Assessment to Action: Turning Strengths into Your Next Chapter
Here’s where it gets exciting…
Your character strengths aren’t just abstract qualities. They’re practical guides for how you can share your unique gifts and create a retirement that feels deeply satisfying.
Let me give you real examples of how different strengths can inform your path forward (in non-traditional ways that align with my belief system):
If CREATIVITY is your top strength, you might start a blog teaching your craft, design products to sell, offer creative consulting, lead workshops, or create an online course.
If LOVE OF LEARNING dominates, consider becoming a lifelong student, researching and writing about topics that fascinate you, creating educational content, or mentoring others in subjects you’ve mastered.
If KINDNESS ranks high, explore one-on-one mentoring, organizing community support, using your professional skills to help nonprofits on your terms, or starting a compassion-focused project.
Notice the pattern?
These aren’t traditional forms of “volunteering at the senior center.” They’re dynamic, creative ways to use your strengths that can include paid passion projects, flexible formats that fit your energy, deep contribution that makes real impact, and authentic expression of who you truly are.
Why This Matters for Gaining Clarity
You need a starting point for clarity. You need to know what to grow toward, what pathways feel authentic, what possibilities align with your true nature.
That’s exactly what the VIA Character Strengths assessment provides.
It’s not about finding a single “retirement purpose.” It’s about discovering multiple ways your strengths can show up across the 5 Rings of Retirement (Growth, Community, Health, Giving Back, and Finance).
For instance, if CURIOSITY and LOVE OF LEARNING are your signature strengths, they inform how you approach growth (taking courses, exploring new topics), community (joining intellectual discussions), health (researching wellness practices), giving back (teaching others), and even finance (monetizing your knowledge).
As in, your character strengths thread through every area of your life.
How to Take the VIA Survey (and What to Do Next)
Ready to gain this clarity for yourself?
Step 1: Take the free VIA Character Strengths survey Go to VIACharacter.org and create a free account. The assessment takes 10-15 minutes.
Step 2: Identify your signature strengths Look at your top 5-7 strengths. Which ones feel most essential to who you are? Which ones energize you when you use them?
Step 3: Brainstorm applications across the 5 Rings For each signature strength, ask: How can this help me grow? Deepen my community? Support my health? Help me give back uniquely? Create financial opportunities?
Step 4: Start with ONE micro-step Pick one strength and one application, then take one small action this week. Just one micro-step. That’s how momentum begins.
The Truth About Clarity (It’s a Process, Not a Destination)
Here’s what you need to know…
Gaining clarity isn’t a one-time event. It’s an ongoing process of discovery, experimentation, and refinement.
The VIA assessment gives you a starting point—a map of your internal landscape. But you still need to explore that landscape, test different paths, see which ones feel right.
This is where the Rewire Retirement Method comes in.
Step #1: Gain Clarity (like taking the VIA and doing the inner work) Step #2: Engage Micro-Steps (taking small daily actions based on that clarity) Step #3: Build Momentum (creating consistent daily structure so it becomes your new way of being)
The VIA survey handles Step #1 brilliantly. It helps you understand your authentic self at a deeper level.
But without Step #2 and Step #3, that clarity just stays theoretical.
You need a systematic way to integrate your strengths into your actual life—not just know about them intellectually.
Your Character Strengths Are Your Compass
Most older adults spend decades using external motivators—money, status, job titles, family roles—to guide their decisions.
Then retirement hits and those external markers disappear.
Suddenly, you’re rudderless. Aimless. Lacking energy and motivation.
That’s because you’ve been looking outside yourself for direction.
Your character strengths flip that script.
They point you inward. They say, “This is who you authentically are. This is what energizes you. This is how you naturally contribute to the world.”
And when you align your retirement with your strengths?
Everything changes.
You feel alive again. You have clarity on your next steps. You know how to share your unique gifts. You create passion projects that feel fulfilling. You build a life that’s authentically yours.
Not your neighbor’s retirement. Not the stereotypical “senior citizen” lifestyle. Not what society says you’re “supposed to do.”
YOUR retirement. YOUR growth journey. YOUR authentic expression.
Your Next Step
The truth?
You need a system for gaining clarity on who you truly are—beyond your career, beyond your family roles, beyond the conditioning of the past 40+ years.
The VIA Character Strengths assessment is a powerful starting point.
It reveals the invisible forces that have been shaping your life all along. It gives you language for qualities you’ve always had but maybe never named. It shows you exactly where to focus your energy for maximum fulfillment.
Take the assessment today. See what it reveals. Let yourself be surprised by what you discover.
Then use those insights to inform your next chapter—not by copying someone else’s path, but by creating one that’s uniquely aligned with your authentic self.
Because retirement isn’t about winding down.
It’s the beginning of a BIG growth journey.
And your character strengths are the compass that will guide you there.
Ready to turn your character strengths into a clear retirement roadmap?
Watch my free masterclass on How to Turn Your Successful Career Into a Successful Retirement → https://bestnextchapters.secondwindmovement.com/training-video
May you step into your next chapter with clarity, purpose, and aliveness.
FAQs About VIA Character Strengths for Retirement
Is the VIA Character Strengths assessment really free?
Yes, completely free. The basic VIA Survey takes 10-15 minutes and gives you your ranked list of all 24 character strengths at no cost. You can upgrade to paid reports for more detailed insights, but the core assessment provides everything you need to gain clarity on your signature strengths and start applying them to your retirement.
What if my character strengths don't match my career?
This is actually extremely common and incredibly valuable to discover. Many older adults spent decades in careers that required using their lesser strengths while their signature strengths went dormant. Retirement is your opportunity to finally align your life with your authentic strengths—which is why so many people feel “alive again” when they make this shift.
Can my character strengths change over time?
Your core signature strengths tend to remain fairly stable throughout life, though how you express them can evolve. Research shows test-retest correlations over 4 months are substantial (above .70), approaching internal consistency levels. However, you can develop underused strengths and find new ways to apply your top strengths as you grow and change.
How do character strengths differ from skills or talents?
Skills are learned abilities (like playing guitar or using Excel), while talents are natural aptitudes (like athletic ability or mathematical reasoning). Character strengths are deeper—they’re positive personality traits that reflect how you think, feel, and behave. You can have the skill of public speaking, but the character strength of Leadership that makes you naturally guide and inspire others.
What if I don't know how to apply my strengths practically?
This is where a systematic process helps. Start by identifying one signature strength, then brainstorm 10 ways it could show up in your life across the 5 Rings of Retirement (Growth, Community, Health, Giving Back, Finance). Pick the easiest one and take one micro-step this week. The Rewire Retirement Method provides this exact structure for turning clarity into consistent action.
Should I focus only on my top strengths or develop my weaker ones?
Research shows focusing on your signature strengths (top 5-7) leads to greater well-being, happiness, and goal achievement. Struggling to develop your bottom strengths typically leads to frustration and burnout. The most fulfilling approach is using your top strengths in new ways while accepting your lesser strengths as simply not central to your authentic self. Build on what’s already strong rather than fixing what’s “weak.”
