Ready for a reset? In a recent initiative, NPR journalist Allison Aubrey introduced her new podcast and newsletter, Your Turn with Allison Aubrey, and featured a simple survey designed to help people rank their character strengths. The tool is presented as a starting point for those confronting reassessment in midlife: a way to inventory personal resources and surface what matters most when routines and roles shift.
The survey asks participants to evaluate and order traits—qualities such as perseverance, curiosity or kindness—so they can see which strengths stand out. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, the exercise aims to translate abstract values into a clearer map of priorities. For many, having a ranked view of strengths can highlight mismatches between how they spend their time and what they most want to bring forward during periods of change.
Practical use of the results can vary. Some people treat the outcome as a prompt to realign work or volunteer choices with personal strengths; others use it to frame conversations with partners or employers about expectations and boundaries. The assessment can also serve as a baseline for tracking shifts in what an individual values as they move through different phases. It is not a diagnostic instrument and does not replace professional counselling, but it can complement other supports by offering a focused lens on personal assets.
For those navigating midlife questions, the survey featured by Allison Aubrey is presented as one accessible tool among many. The podcast and newsletter package the exercise with stories and resources intended to help listeners interpret their results and consider next steps. Readers interested in exploring this approach can listen to the episodes or subscribe to the newsletter to follow how the survey is used in conversation and in real-life examples, and decide whether a strengths-first inventory fits into their own process of reassessment.
