How to Find the Strength in Your Weakness and Do What You Love
By Anne Perry
We all have strengths and weaknesses. So why not leverage what you’re uniquely good at and do what you love?
One of my biggest strengths came to me in the form of what I thought was a handicap. In my days of being an employee, in every new job I held, before I felt I could really make headway in my assignments, I had to understand all the variables of the project, identify all the moving parts, and define how they fit together. I perceived this as a problem because I felt unfocused and as if things were slipping between the cracks until I went through this process – which required a bit of focused time, paper, a pencil, and of course an eraser.
What I learned is that when I was done “wrapping my head around it,” I had created a system and documented process for this particular function, which could be used over and over again, by me or anyone else. Eventually I realized that this is very valuable! I have cultivated this skill, and now it is one of my areas of expertise. No holes in the bucket is a good thing! So what could be perceived as a crutch, through one lens, turned into a service that adds value to other people’s lives. Strengths and weaknesses are often opposite sides of the same coin.
Here’s another example. Most successful and wealthy entrepreneurs have been called “unrealistic” or “irresponsible” at one point in their lives. We need big dreamers though, because everything wonderful that has ever been created was first an idea in a dreamer’s mind. Imagine all the rolling eyes the Wright Brothers must have gotten when they announced they were going to make a machine that flies around the sky. The flip side of “irresponsible” is the insatiable need to evolve out of an ordinary (read: unfulfilling) existence. This drive cultivates a willingness to take courageous action, a quality necessary to make big things happen. Thank goodness for those unrealistic, irresponsible dreamers with their heads in the clouds!
Here’s one more strengths and weaknesses reframe: My husband self-admittedly has obsessive-compulsive tendencies (i.e. he quadruple-checks door handles and can spot a crumb from across the room), but without this attention to detail, he would not be the genius photographer & video editor that he is! Plus, I’m one of those rare lucky ladies who gets to hear, “I like what you’ve done with your hair today,” and “I noticed you cleaned the bathroom mirror!”
Rather than going against our own grain or expecting others to mute out their quirks, why not recognize ourselves and each other as geniuses in our own rights?
We love to do what we are good at, and we are good at what we love to do. The moral of the blog is cultivate your unique gifts and offer them to the world! When it comes to strengths and weaknesses, focus on your strengths. Do what you love. It will make you more happy and then will make the people around you more happy too. Nobody likes a grump!
I will leave you with this famous quote:
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that.
Because what the world needs is people who are alive.”
~ Howard Thurman
I’d love to hear your insights. Have you ever found a strength disguised as a weakness? What do you absolutely love to do? Comment below with your thoughts!
Anne Perry
For entrepreneurs who want more time with what matters
Anne's Story (Bio):
Anne Perry spent most of her working years as a project manager, program developer and, most recently, as an Executive Assistant for a network marketing millionaire in San Francisco. After consistently being sought out for organization and productivity advice by her clients and their colleagues, she cracked the code of what it was that made her so effective.
Now, as an entrepreneur, she uses her same secret ingredients in her own business and teaches other entrepreneurs her tested and proven methodologies that allow them to make the most of their time so they can spend less time in the trenches of their business and more time on what they love.
Anne is passionate about time-freedom and believes all entrepreneurs deserve a business that works for them, so that they can live the life they desire. She is now pursuing her dream of traveling the world as a “Virtual Vagabond” work-from-anywhere entrepreneur, and teaches others to do the same if they choose to. Anne is a thought-leader in the field of productivity and is recognized for her unique approach to systemizing for business success.
How I Know Jaki:
I had the great fortune of meeting Jaki as a fellow finalist in a blog contest put on by Brian Tracy. Jaki knocked it out of the park, and was a gracious winner! We ended up becoming friends, along with the rest of the top finalists, and look forward to supporting each other's endeavors in the coming years.
Anne's Contact Info:
Blog: https://www.TheVirtualVagabond.com
Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/AnnePerryTweets
Linked In: https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/1AnnePerry
A Message from Jaki ~ Thank you
I just loved the sentence "why not recognize ourselves and each other as geniuses in our own rights?" - how true. Thank you Anne for a truly inspirational post.
Anne and I met 'Virtually' during the Brian Tracy Guest Blogger competition, she extended her hand in friendship even though at the time we were both in the top 10. I genuinely hope that this is a friendship that blossoms :))
Simple Positive Steps You Can Take Now ~
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- Recognise Yourself as the Genius You Are :)
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In Gratitude