In order to focus on your strengths, you have to actually know what you’re good at.
To take it a step further, there’s a question we need to ask ourselves:
What if I’m good at something, but don’t love it?
Just because you are great at something, say sports for example, doesn’t necessarily mean you should focus all your energy on it, or make it your profession. What if you’re really great at math, but don’t find joy in doing it? Are you stuck being a mathematician for the rest of your life?! No.
I would label this as: right skills, wrong outlet. Every strengths — and every weakness — is a small piece of the puzzle that converges into who you are. Don’t use this as an excuse to throw out math, per se. Keep it in your toolbelt. Use it with other strengths and ideas and make it a piece of something that enables your joy. Just don’t spend and prioritize you’re entire life around doing something because you are good at it, because that isn’t enough. There are plenty of mathematicians out there who are stupid good at what they do, AND have the creative energy and get-up-and-go power from loving doing it. (And more important, if you don’t love it, why prioritize, no matter how good you are, or how good others say you are?)
Of course, most of the time, we enjoy what we are good at. Having strength gives you a level of power and status above those who are weaker in that area (their strength lies elsewhere). The goal is to focus on what brings you joy. If that’s a strength, incredible! Perhaps in your case is multiple strengths that combine into something unique.
However, don’t discount weaknesses. Weaknesses are yin to your strengths yang — they guide us and allow us to become aware of blind spots we may have. Whether you try to improve that blind spot, avoid it, or fill it with someone strong in that area, is up to you.
“Focus on your strengths” is too narrow.
You must also know your weaknesses so that you know where problems will likely arise.
And through it all, the true power here is not your strengths, nor covering your weaknesses. Delete the last three words of that common phrase and you’re left with what truly creates change in your life and this world:
“Focus”
We do not have focus because of our strengths, we have strengths because of our focus. Our will, persistence and determination to make the vision true.
What you focus on, becomes your strength.
STAY BOLD, Keep Pursuing,
— Josh Waggoner
