The default approach to personal growth is to begin by working on your weaknesses, and searching for resources that will help you overcome them.
If you have issues with productivity, then the first thing you read up on is productivity.
In many ways this is a healthy attitude. Your problem areas are bottlenecks that restrict the amount of happiness and success you can experience in life.
But focusing solely on your weaknesses can be quite challenging, not to mention depressing.
When all you’re thinking about are the things you suck at, it’s easy to develop a negative self-image, where you dig a hole for yourself that’s very difficult to get out of.
Instead of giving your weaknesses all your attention, be fully aware of your strengths and the role they can play in your life.
They can be an enormous aid in helping you tackle your weaknesses.
I’ve put myself down on many occasions because I’m slow at getting work done. I always seem to get overwhelmed by the ideas I have that I can’t focus on a single task to work on.
I later realized that I’m great at explaining the big picture to others, identifying patterns and making connections. These are valuable skills that I can build on rather than ignore because I happen to be weak when it comes to dealing with details.
I can accept my weaknesses and work on them, but not to the exclusion of my strengths. To move my life forward, I need to celebrate my strengths and make the most out of them.
What are you good at? What do people come to you for? What do you find easy to do? What can you pick up on very quickly? What do you have most experience in?
How can you use your strengths to overcome your weaknesses?
When it comes to your New Year’s resolutions, don’t think only about overcoming your weaknesses, but resolve to make the most out of your strengths, and look for opportunities where they will be most useful and appreciated.