[This is an Occupational Adventure Blast from the Past!]
Are you sure your weaknesses are really weaknesses?
So often, I see people get down on themselves for weaknesses they don't really have. They try to shove their natural talents and inclinations into a box, and when the curves and bumps of their natural shape are at odds with the shape of the box, they say, "Oh, why can't I be more box-like," and call it a weakness.
Often, it's not really a weakness - it's what I call a "misaligned strength."
I used to bemoan the fact that I couldn't just stay on one focused track. I would start anything new like a house afire, but once I got past the initial learning stage, my interest would wane.
It seemed that I needed to be constantly stimulated with newness, preferably coming from multiple directions at once. That seemed at odds with the sustained single-track approach to corporate ladder success that I thought I needed to take. I saw it as a weakness, that I got bored too easily, and couldn't keep my focus on one thing.
Now though, that exact same characteristic is a huge strength. I'm working with multiple clients who are all at different stages in their processes. Add to that my speaking, events, and the book I'm working on, and I've got stimulation coming out my ears. And the juice I get from that feeds me, and gives me energy to dream more and do more than I ever thought possible. But for someone who had a very single-track focus, my work would be a living hell.
Hmmmmm, could it be that the single-track focus I worshipped and aspired to before is a weakness in this case? Nope. Just a misaligned strength.
See how that works?
--
Time for a career change? Launch it with...
The Occupational Adventure Guide:
A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams
--
by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst
Comments