People are wonderful creatures. Everyone is different with their own sets of skills, ideas, and dreams. Some are good at some things while others are good at different ones, and that’s beautiful. Just like the world, people are constantly changing and with that, so do their strengths and their weaknesses.
Developing these skills help to nurture growth in everyday life. This desire for growth and achievement is part of what makes someone a human being rather than just an empty husk or some sort of robot on autopilot. Keep reading for some tips on improving your strengths and weaknesses for the better.
Where Did the Strengths and Weaknesses Conversation Get Started?
Positive Psychology is a heavy focus on positive experiences and feelings, so in an effort to break down what it means to be a happy, mentally healthy human being, it developed the concept of strengths and weaknesses. It also suggests that someone can work on their weaknesses, and that they aren’t inherently faults just because they aren’t perfect in every way. From there, it moved into the workforce where it has become a crucial part of vetting both potential candidates and current staff.
Should I Improve my Strengths or Weaknesses?
Nobody is perfect. The best anyone can hope for is that they have tried their best. That being said, it’s usually a good idea to always strive for improvement. Growth is good in so many ways.
Improving on one’s strengths and weaknesses can help in the following ways:
- More positive outlooks
- Stronger, more desirable skillsets
- A sense of accomplishment
- More pride and joy
- A constant stream of motivation and drive
- Ability to adapt to new situations
- Developing new loves and curiosities
- Having a more open mind
- Building perspective
- Becoming braver
- Fostering passion
It’s always good to try and be better. It’s not likely that anyone really wants to be that person nobody likes for being so stuck in their old ways that they can’t adapt and crumple under the slightest change.
How Do You Develop Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
Everyone is different. How one person develops their strengths and weaknesses can be very different from the person two feet from them. Regardless of who they are however, it takes a lot of work to change. Don’t be afraid to try new things or new methods.
10 Tips for Developing Your Strengths and Weaknesses
There are so many different ways to go about developing oneself for the better that it can be a little overwhelming to decide where to start. Thankfully, there are plenty of methods out there to try and find out what is the best for each individual.
Start Small
It can easily get overwhelming to try and tackle too much of anything at once, and that includes developing strengths and weaknesses. Start out small with something that might not need a lot of work to appeal to the little gremlin in the brain that craves instant gratification. That way it will help motivate for the harder things.
Pay Attention to Feedback
People tend to get used to seeing things in a specific way and being unable to see other perspectives. That’s where it comes in handy to pay attention to the feedback of others. It can help identify what really needs worked on sooner rather than later, or to spot where some polish can be applied.
Check in with Yourself
Many people try so hard to appeal to everyone else that they neglect themselves. Checking in with oneself occasionally can really help to put into perspective what is really desired. From there, what skills are needed can be a little more obvious, which in turn helps find where the strengths and weaknesses are and why things might be going the way they are. Then, things can be worked on accordingly and developed in a positive manner.
Move Slowly
It takes a lot of time to relearn old habits. They’re easy to make, hard to break so be sure to take plenty of time to slowly work on these. Certain skills even take a long time to build in general, so don’t expect results overnight. Be patient and move slowly as these strengths and weaknesses get developed.
Make Lists
Lists are awesome little things that help to break tasks down into tiny little pieces. They turn something that are mere concepts and thoughts into something tangible. Having a simple list of things that are strengths and things that are weaknesses can help solidify these metaphysical concepts into something that now has a name to work with.
Forgive Failures
It’s a pretty common adage to note that there is more to learn from failures than successes. Doing things wrong helps to learn how to do things right and to give consequences. Letting these failures be forgiven stops them from seeming like such a bad thing and helps them to become tools for betterment.
Take Classes
Depending on the strength or weakness being worked on, there might be a class out there to offer training on the subject. Look into these sorts of things for a specific approach on developing that particular skill with people who are much more adept at it.
Reach Out to the Community
Humans are incredibly social creatures. Even the most introverted person needs some sort of interaction with others for a healthy mind. Reaching out to a community, wherever that may be, is a way to find other people who are or have gone through the same experiences or have worked on the same skills. Connecting with these people helps to generate more ideas on how to develop these strengths and weaknesses too.
Be Positive
Sometimes it can be really hard to be positive, especially when everything seems to be going wrong. Be sure to always find at least a little thing that is good in there whether it be big or small. This keeps up the hope that eventually it will in fact be better. A little bit of fake it ‘till you make it goes a long way.
Develop Routines
Routines are powerful things. They help get things cemented by always doing the same thing. It’s like constant practice, and pretty much everyone has heard the phrase “practice makes perfect” at least once. Practice setting daily intentions and keep at it and the development will follow eventually.
Conclusion
Nobody is perfect, but at least that means there’s always room for improvement. There’s always something to do, something to grow into, and someone new to be. It’s as exciting as it is beautiful, and developing one’s strengths and weaknesses is a way to keep up with the ever-changing world that exists today in a positive and healthy manner.
