Dear people,
All the time people get told to play towards their strengths. It easy, it makes things work faster and it's often enjoyable. Yet, there aren't much opportunities to be had or lessons to be learned. It often takes courage and honesty to face up to our flaws, weaknesses and areas of growth, but the rewards are worth it. So today, I'm writing about how to play to your weaknesses.
Physical weaknesses
Yeah, it would be nice if we were always fit, always happy and always pain free. Yet we all have physical weaknesses. When we acknowledge those, we can work towards better lives. Not acknowledging or accepting our limitations means we will not work towards better outcomes.
Some reflection questions:
- What is the best time of day for you to work? And do you take that into account?
- Do you give yourself the right amount of food?
- Do you give yourself the right type of food?
- Do you give yourself enough rest?
- Do you give yourself enough relaxation?
- Do you give yourself what you need when you are in pain or sick?
If you know your weakness is sweets at 4pm, you can do something about it, once you acknowledge that this is a hard time for you. If you notice you are a night owl, you will feel less upset that you sleep the morning away, knowing that your effective time is still coming. Or, if you want to check what it feels like to work in what you think is your weakest time, you can try sleeping a bit earlier, and seeing what a 6am wake up does for you.
I see a lot of people not using the tools they need, because they want to be physically perfect. Yet, when we acknowledge we aren't, it's can be liberating to give yourself what you need or go on an adventure to try something new. I admit that I am a fan of warm hot baths, but taking a cold shower sometimes really does revitalize me. Yet sometimes I just really need that bath!
Emotional weaknesses
Life would be a lot easier if none of us had emotional weaknesses. Yet, sometimes we burst into tears or are quick to anger. We let our passion lead us astray or wear rose colored glasses. We notice we are feeling entitled or we are being unfair to others. Some of us are prone to feeling jealous while others are people-pleasers.
Once we know where our emotional weaknesses are, we have an easier time keeping our emotional balance. It's always nice to feel stable, able to handle whatever punches life throws at us en build towards the kind of human being you want to be.
Some reflection questions:
- How do you deal with difficult emotions like anger, sadness, jealousy?
- How do you deal with guilt?
- Are your moods stable?
- Do you notice your mood shifts?
- Can you change your own mood?
- Are your relationships healthy?
Mental weaknesses
Some of us are worriers, some of us prefer predictable patterns, others get stuck in their own headspace, there are many different mental weaknesses. Yet all of us have them. If you acknowledge them, it helps put them into perspective. Mental stress that remains unspoken often leads to bad decisions, outburst or even illness.
Regularly checking in on our mental health is important, but so is knowing what gets your goat so to speak. If you know you crash out when you need to do a presentation at work, you can deal with that in an appropriate way. Always nervous doing new things? Take it into account, but keep on trying.
Some reflection questions:
- How do you manage your fears?
- How do you manage your stress?
- Do you know your personal signs of stress?
- Do you regularly mitigate your stress levels?
- Do you get out of your comfort zone now and again?
- Do you reflect enough on your mental health?
I highly recommend you take some time to play with the answers to your questions and see where your growth is calling you or where you need to be kinder to yourself. If you want to talk more about accepting and overcoming weaknesses or ask what's possible for you, you can email me, post a comment here on the blog or send me a message on the Facebook Fan Page or on Instagram.