Eek. I used to really hate this question. I mean, hate it. I've had to answer it so many times over the course of my adult life, and nearly every time I've thought to myself, "What in the world am I good at?" I've lived a lot of my life feeling inferior, as if I only have weaknesses, but not any strengths. Thankfully, I'm not in that place anymore. I've woken up to the invigorating truth that there actually are things I'm good at, shock of all shocks.
The funny thing about strengths and weaknesses is that often, they're almost one in the same. Either that, or very very closely related. This is the experience of my life, at least. Perhaps all strengths can slyly become a weakness if not kept in check? Is this just my own experience?
Anyway, here is my list of strengths, intertwined with my weaknesses.
1. I'm responsible, sometimes to a fault. Being motivated by my sense of responsibility can turn into being motivated by guilt if I'm not careful.
2. I have grace for people, but can sometimes let people off the hook for things for which they really should be held accountable.
3. I communicate best when I'm able to write things out. I express myself best that way. But I can use the written word as a crutch when I should boldly use my audible voice to say what needs to be said. Confrontation, along with talking in front of many people, isn't my strong suit, but using the written word has been a shield behind which I've hidden, thinking I'll be protected, when in reality, it sometimes just isn't the best way to communicate something.
4. I'm a good cook. I know how to make things work in the kitchen. I can make something out of seemingly nothing, intuitively knowing how to meld ingredients together to create something fantastic. It's one of the areas of my life where I'm the most confident. However, knowing that I'm generally a good cook, I still apologize for my food. What's that about? Insecurity. I'm completely insecure about it, even though I know I'm good at it. Why? Because I make mistakes. And I hate making mistakes.
5. I like to do things well, so much so that I've been called a perfectionist. Doing something right, producing something of quality and being proud of my handiwork is something that's important to me. Of course, this verges on perfectionism, which isn't really a strength, is it? Plus, I don't take criticism very well. Even though I appreaciate knowing when I'm not doing something right or doing something well, I often feel defeated when I receive even the most useful piece of constructive criticism, like I shouldn't give it another try because I'm just not good at whatever it is I messed up on. Vicious cycle.
I'm sure there are more. There are probably innumerable things that I could list here, if I took the time to continue listing them. But I think that these five things are the biggies.
Looking at this list, I realize that life is a process. Just because these are the things I struggle with right now does not mean I have to struggle with them always. Knowing my weaknesses gives me the freedom to pursue change in those areas. It's a process, yes, one that will take intentional effort. But won't it be worth it? To have my strengths truly be strengths, independent of the weaknesses that currently come along with them?
Almost sounds too good to be true. But I think that it actually is. True, I mean.
Thoughts?
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