I was reminiscing back about a family jaunt to Ireland - one of my favorite spots in the world! Vacations are grand, especially when you can spend time with family, including your adult children. When the fun time is over - we tend to DREAD the day before we hit the office again - imagining the filled inboxes, the tasks that need to be done and everyone and their mother wanting a piece of you!
I have to admit, multi-tasking is a superpower of mine. Adrenalin kicks in and I just go like the Energizer Bunny. Some people call it one of my amazing strengths – others call it one of my biggest weaknesses. I call it my secret weapon - ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).
When I do business coaching I used to dive in with a SWOT Analysis - or something similar to determine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats so we can create a roadmap going forward. It's common, and no one ever thought twice about it.
But when it comes to Life coaching - the words Strengths and Weaknesses should take a back seat.
Is a weakness really a weakness? Isn’t it subjective? Who is the magic decider on the topic – is there a SWOT God who labels your attributes?
My multi-tasking ABILITY is awed by many. I often hear, “How the hell do you do ALL that!” On the flip side, I’ve also had coaches tell me that my extreme multi-tasking needs to be worked on, and dialed back for me to achieve bliss, calm, and balance.
It took me a very long time to realize that we are all unique, and one person's "weakness" could easily be viewed as a strength by someone else. (sigh)
And more…A few years ago there was a viral video going around about people with autism. The message: Is it a “disability” or simply a DIFFERENT Ability? I’m with the latter. I know so many incredibly brilliant people on the spectrum with amazing abilities that I could only dream of!
Our past can get in the way - because our brain doesn't know if we are lying to ourselves or not!
It was ALWAYS drilled into my head to Capitalize on your Strengths and Compensate for your Weaknesses. What if we just concentrated and focused on our strengths and just thought of "weaknesses" as OTHER ABILITIES? Hmmmmm…..deep thought. I But think about it. What if?
What if we did not judge someone by their alleged weaknesses but instead revered them for their strengths? It goes back to forcing someone to do something that isn’t in their wheelhouse – they could try, but they won’t excel, and many will fail. Like trying to make a fish climb a tree - #epicfail or making a polar bear live in the Amazon rain forest #overheated
Why judge the fish on her climbing ability? Really? Sounds silly, but we as humans do this ALL THE TIME.
In my mind, this goes back to self-love and acceptance of yourself and others. Just Imagine the possibilities if we focused on the good versus the “bad”. Just Imagine.
I’ll leave you with this. CLICK HERE